A  HERO 


OF 


TICONDEROGA 


BY 


ROWLAND   E.  ROBINSON 

AUTHOR  OF  "  UNCLE  LISHA's  SHOP,"  "  SAM  LOVEL's  CAMP," 

"VERMONT,"  IN  THE  AMERICAN  COMMONWEALTH 

SERIES,  "  DAVIS  FOLKS,"  "  UNCLE  LISHA'S 

OUTING,"  "in  NEW  ENGLAND 

FIELDS  AND  WOODS." 


BURLINGTON,    VT, 

HOBART  J.  SHANLEY  &  CO. 

PUBLISHERS 
(898 


Copyright,  1898,  by 
HOBART   J.  SHANLEY  it  CO. 


487881 


A    Hero    of   Ticonderoga 

CHAPTER  I 

COMING  INTO   THE  WILDERNESS 

The  low  sun  of  a  half-spent  winter 
afternoon  streaked  and  splashed  the 
soft  undulations  of  the  forest  floor 
with  thin,  infrequent  lines,  and  scat- 
tered blotches  of  yellow  light  among 
the  thickening  shadows. 

A  solitary  hunter,  clad  in  buckskin 
and  gray  homespun,  thridded  his  way 
among  the  gray  trunks  of  the  giant 
trees,  now  blended  with  them  and 
their  shadows,  now  briefly  touched  by 


2  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

a  glint  of  sunlight,  now  casting  up  the 
powdery  snow  from  the  toes  of  his 
snowshoes  in  a  pearly  mist,  now  in  a 
golden  shower,  yet  moving  as  silently 
as  the  trees  stood,  or  shadows  brood- 
ed, or  sunlight  gleamed  athwart 
them. 

Presently  he  approached  a  narrow 
road  that  tunnelled,  rather  than 
seamed,  the  forest,  for  the  giant  trees 
which  closely  pillared  its  sides  spread 
their  branches  across  it,  leaving  the 
vast  forest  arch  unbroken. 

In  the  silence  of  the  hour  and  sea- 
son, which  was  but  emphasized  by 
the  outcry  of  a  suspicious  jay  and  the 
gentler  notes  of  a  bevy  of  friendly 
chickadees,  the  alert  ear  of  the  hunter 
caught  a  less  familiar  sound.  Faint 
and  distant  as  it  was,  he  at  once  re- 
cognized in  it  the  slow  tread  of  oxen 
and  the  creak  of  runners  in  the  dry 
snow,  and,  standing  a  little  aloof  from 


Coming  into  the   IVilderness  3 

the  untrodden  road,  he  awaited  the 
coming  of  the  possibly  unwelcome 
inv'aders  of  the  wilderness. 

A  yoke  of  oxen  soon  appeared, 
swaying  along  at  a  sober  pace,  the 
breath  jetting  from  their  nostrils  in 
little  clouds  that  arose  and  dissolved 
in  the  still  air  with  that  of  their  driver, 
who  stood  on  the  front  of  a  sled  laden 
with  a  full  cargo  of  household  stuff. 
Far  behind  the  sled  stretched  the 
double  furrow  of  the  runners,  deep- 
scored  lines  of  darker  blue  than  the 
universal  shadow  of  the  forest,  a  stead- 
fast wake  to  mark  the  course  of  the 
voyager  till  the  next  snow-storm  or 
the  spring  thaw  cover  it  or  blot  it  out. 
As  the  oxen  came  opposite  the  mo- 
tionless hunter,  his  attendant  jay  ut- 
tered a  sudden  discordant  cry. 

"  Whoa,  hush!  Whoa  haw,  there! 
What  are  you  afeard  of  now  ?  That's 
nothin'    but   a  jay  squallin'."      The 


4  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

strong  voice  of  the  driver  rang  through 
the  stillness  of  the  woods,  overbearing 
the  monotonous  tread  of  the  oxen, 
the  creak  of  the  sled,  and  the  respon- 
sive swish  and  creak  of  the  snow  be- 
neath feet  and  runners. 

Unmindful  of  his  voice,  the  oxen 
still  swerved  from  the  unbeaten  track 
of  the  forest  road  and  threatened  to 
bring  the  off  runner  against  one  of 
the  great  trees  that  bordered  it.  The 
driver  sprang  from  his  standing  place, 
and,  running  forward  alongside  the 
cattle,  quickly  brought  them  to  a  halt 
with  a  few  reassuring  words,  and  a 
touch  of  his  long,  blue-beech  gad 
across  their  faces. 

Looking  into  the  woods  to  see  what 
had  alarmed  them,  he  became  aware 
of  the  man  standing  a  little  way  off, 
as  motionless  as  the  great  tree  trunks 
around  him.  Seeing  the  oxen  were 
now   under    control,    the    latter    ad- 


Coming  into  the    PVilderness  5 

vanced  a  little  and  spoke  in  a  low, 
pleasant  voice : 

"  I  didn't  go  to  skeer  your  oxen, 
stranger,  and  was  standin'  still  to  let 
'em  pass,  but  thet  jay  squalled  at  me, 
an',  lookin'  this  way,  I  s'pose  they 
ketched  a  glimpse  of  my  fur  cap  an' 
took  it  for  some  varmint.  Cattle  is 
always  lookin'  for  some  sech,  in  the 
woods.  Your  load's  all  right,  I  hope," 
he  seid,  coming  into  the  road  and 
looking  at  the  sled,  which,  though 
tipped  on  some  hidden  obstruction, 
was  yet  in  no  danger  of  upsetting  its 
freight. 

"  Why,  you've  got  women  an*  chil- 
dern,"  and  his  face  lighted  up  with 
an  expression  of  pleased  interest. 
"  You're  comin'  in  to  make  a  pitch. 
How  far  might  you  be  goin',  stran- 
ger ?  " 

"  A  little  beyond  Fort  Ti,  on  this 
side, ' '  the  driver  of  the  oxen  answered. 


A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 


44 


I  made  a  pitch  there  last  year.  My 
name's  Seth  Beeman,  and  I  come  from 
Salisbury,  Ccmnecticut,  and  them  on 
the  sled  are  my  wife  and  children." 
Seth  Beeman  knew  that,  according  to 
the  custom  of  the  country  and  the 
times,  this  information  would  pres- 
ently be  required  of  him,  and  the 
hunter,  for  such  the  stranger's  dress, 
long  gun  and  snowshoes  proclaimed 
him  to  be,  had  such  an  honest  face 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  forestall  the  in- 
evitable questions. 

"  I  want  to  know !  A  Beeman  from 
,  ol'  Salisbury,"  cried  the  other.  **  An' 
now  I  wonder  if  you  be  akin  to  my  ol' 
comrade  in  the  Rangers,  'Zekiel  Bee- 
man?" 

"  My  father's  name  was  Ezekiel, 
and  he  served  in  Roger's  Rangers." 

"  Give  me  your  hand,  friend,"  cried 
the  hunter,  drawing  off  his  mitten 
with  his  teeth,  and  extending  his  hand 


Coming  into  the    IVilderness  7 

as  he  came  near  to  the  other.  ' '  Well, 
I  never  thought  to  meet  an  ol'  friend 
here  in  these  lonesome  woods,  to-day. 
Yes,  an  ol'  friend,  for  that's  what  a 
son  of  'Zeklel  Beeman's  is  to  me, 
though  I  never  sot  eyes  on  him  afore. 
You've  maybe  hearn  him  speak  of 
Job  Carpenter  ?     That's  my  name. " 

"  Carpenter?  Yes,  the  name  sounds 
familiar,  but  you  know  father  wa'n't  a 
man  of  many  words  and  never  told  us 
much  of  his  sojerin'  days." 

"  You're  right,  he  wa'n't.  We  all 
larnt  to  keep  our  heads  shut  when  we 
was  a-scoutin*  an*  a  loud  word  might 
cost  a  man  his'n  an'  many  another 
life." 

Seth  wondered  how  long  since  the 
hunter  had  forgotten  the  lesson,  yet 
he  noticed  the  voice  of  the  other  was 
never  high  pitched  and  he  never  made 
a  sudden,  abrupt  movement. 

**  An'  so  these  is  your  wife  an'  chil- 


8  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

dern,  be  they?"  said  Job,  passing 
toward  the  sled,  whose  occupants 
were  so  muffled  in  bed-quilts  and 
blankets  that  nothing  of  their  forms, 
and  but  little  of  their  features,  were 
visible. 

"  How  dedo,  marm.  How  dedo, 
little  uns.  Tol'able  comf'table,  I 
hope?" 

Ruth  Beeman  answered  his  kind 
salutation  as  audibly  as  she  could  out 
of  her  mufflings,  and  the  children,  a 
boy  of  twelve  and  a  girl  of  three  years 
younger,  stared  at  him  with  round, 
wondering  eyes. 

"It's  a  hard  life  that  lies  afore 
women  an'  childern  in  this  wilder- 
ness," he  said  to  himself,  and  then, 
in  a  louder  tone:  "  Wal,  I'm  glad 
you're  goin'  to  be  nigh  the  Fort. 
There's  always  a  doctor  there,  an'  it's 
sort  o'  protection,  if  the  garrison  be 
reg'lars.     Now,  Seth,  start  up  your 


Coming  into  the   Wilderness  9 

team,  an'  I'll  boost  on  the  sled  till  it's 
square  on  the  road  again." 

So  saying,  he  set  his  shoulder  to 
one  of  the  sled  stakes,  while  Seth  care- 
fully started  the  oxen  forward.  With 
a  heaving  lurch  and  prolonged  creak, 
the  sled  settled  upon  evener  ground 
without  disturbance  of  its  passengers 
or  its  burden  of  house  gear  and  pro- 
visions, which,  till  now,  had  hidden 
from  view  of  the  hunter  a  gentle  little 
cow  in  lead  close  behind  it. 

"  How  far  be  we  from  the  Fort?" 
Seth  asked. 

"  Nigh  onto  five  mile,"  the  hunter 
answered,  after  considering  their 
whereabouts  a  moment.  "After  a 
spell  you'll  come  to  a  better  road  on 
the  ice  of  the  crik,  if  you  take  the  first 
blazed  path  beyend  here,  to  your  left. 
It'll^  fetch  you  to  my  cabin,  where 
you'l  better  stop  till  morning,  for  you 
can't  no  ways  git  to  your  pitch  till 


10  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

long  arter  nightfall.  I  know  where  it 
is,  for  I  come  across  it,  last  fall,  when 
I  was  trappin'  m  .hrat  up  the  crik. 
My  shanty's  the  first  thing  in  the  shape 
of  a  dwelling  that  you'll  come  to,  an* 
can't  miss  it  if  3'ou  foller  the  back 
track  of  my  snowshoes.  It  hain't  no 
gre?t,  but  it's  better'n  no  shelter,  an' 
you're  more'n  welcome  to  it.  Rake 
open  the  fire  an'  build  you  a  rouster, 
an*  make  yourselves  to  home.  I've 
got  some  traps  to  tend  to,  but  I'll  be 
back  afore  dark,"  and,  almost  before 
they  could  thank  him,  he  disappeared 
among  the  trees. 

Seth  took  his  place  upon  the  sled, 
and,  as  it  moved  forward,  the  forest 
again  resumed  its  solemnity  of  silence, 
that  was  rather  made  more  apparent 
than  at  all  disturbed  by  the  slight 
sounds  of  the  party's  progress.  It 
was  a  silence  that  their  lonely  journey 
had  long  since  accustomed  them  to, 


Coming  into  the   PVilderness         li 

but  had  not  made  less  depressing,  for, 
in  every  waking  moment,  it  reminded 
Seth  and  his  wife  how  every  foot  of 
it  withdrew  them  further  from  old 
friends  and  old  associations,  and  how 
long  and  wearisome  the  days  of  its 
endurance  stretched  before  them. 

The  remainder  of  the  day  was  made 
pleasanter  by  the  chance  finding  of  a 
friend  in  a  strange  land,  and  with  a 
prospect  of  spending  a  night  under  a 
roof,  for,  however  it  might  be,  it  could 
but  be  better  than  the  almost  shelter- 
less bivouac  that  had  many  times  been 
their  night  lodging  since  they  entered 
the  great  Northern  Wilderness,  that, 
within  a  few  years,  had  become  known 
as  the  New  Hampshire  Grants. 

More  than  once,  when  they  had 
fallen  asleep  with  only  the  mesh  of 
netted  branches  between  them  and 
the  serene  stars,  they  had  been  awak- 
ened by  the  long  howl  of  the  wolves 


12  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

answering  one  another,  or  by  the  ap- 
palling scream  of  a  panther.  Then, 
with  frequent  replenishment  of  the 
fire,  they  had  watched  out  the  weary 
hours  till  morning,  alarmed  by  every 
falling  brand  or  sough  of  the  breeze,  or 
resonant  crack  of  frost-strained  trees. 

Seth  looked  eagerly  for  the  prom- 
ised trail  and  was  glad  to  discover  the 
blazed  trees  and  the  netted  imprint  of 
snowshoes,  that,  if  but  briefly,  as  cer- 
tainly, identified  the  path.  He  turned 
his  oxen  into  the  diverging  road, 
which,  though  narrow,  gave  ample 
room  for  the  sled.  After  a  little  it 
led  to  the  winding  channel  of  a  creek 
crawling  through  a  marsh,  whose 
looped  and  matted  sedges  were  in 
turn  bordered  by  the  primeval  forest 
and  its  bristling  abatis  of  great  trees, 
prostrate  and  bent  in  every  degree  of 
incline. 

At  last,  as  the  long  shadows  began 


Coming  into  the    Wilderness         13 

to  thicken  into  the  pallid  gloom  of 
winter  twilight,  a  little  cabin  was  dis- 
covered in  a  notch  of  clearing,  as  gray 
and  silent  as  the  gray  woods  around 
it.  A  thin  wisp  of  smoKe  climbed 
from  the  low  chimney  against  tl'^  wall 
of  forest,  and  a  waft  of  its  pungent 
odor  came  to  the  travellers.  Even  as 
they  drew  near,  its  owner  also  arrived, 
and  gave  them  hospitable  welcome  to 
his  hearth,  and  presently  the  little 
room  was  aglow  with  light  and 
warmth. 

Here  Ruth  and  little  Martha  thawed 
away  their  cramps  and  chilliness  by 
the  big  fireplace,  while  Seth  and  his 
son  Nathan,  with  the  hunter's  help, 
unhitched  the  oxen  from  the  sled. 
From  this  they  brought  the  rations  of 
hay  and  corn,  and  made  the  oxen  and 
their  comrade,  the  cow,  contented 
with  their  roofless  lodging  behind  the 
cabin. 


X4  -^  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

Then  the  pork  and  Indian  meal  were 
taken  inside.  Ruth  mixed  a  johnny- 
cake  with  hot  water  and  salt,  and  set 
it  to  bake  on  its  board,  tilted  before 
the  fire.  The  frying-pan  was  filled 
with  pork,  and  slices  of  moose  meat 
contributed  from  Job's  larder. 

The  little  party,  ranged  on  rude 
seats  about  the  fireplace,  so  great  as 
to  be  out  of  all  proportion  to  the 
room,  chatted  of  things  near  and  afar, 
while  they  grew  hungry  with  every 
sniff  of  appetizing  cookery. 

Nathan  was  all  agog  at  the  peltry 
that  hung  from  innumerable  pegs  on 
the  rough  log  walls.  There  were  skins 
of  many  animals  that  had  long  been 
rare,  if  not  extinct,  in  the  old  colony 
where  he  was  born. 

There  were  the  broad,  round  shields 
of  beaver  skins,  the  slenderer  and 
lighter-hued  skins  of  otters,  besides 
the  similarly  shaped  but  smaller  and 


Coming  into  the   Wilderness         15 

darker-colored  fisher,  with  a  bundle  of 
the  lesser  martins,  that  Job  called 
"  saple,"  and  no  end  of  muskrats  and 
minks.  There  were,  also,  half  a  d  >zr.in 
wolf  skins,  and,  conspicuous  in  size 
and  glossy  blackness,  were  three  bear 
skins,  and  beside  them  hung  a  tawny- 
panther  hide,  the  huge  hinder  paws 
and  long  tail  trailing  on  the  puncheon 
floor,  while  the  cat-like  head  seemed 
to  prowl,  as  stealthily  as  in  life,  among 
the  upper  shadows  and  flickerings  of 
the  firelight. 

Quickly  noting  the  boy's  interest 
in  these  trophies.  Job  made  the  round 
of  them  all,  explaining  the  habits  of 
each  animal,  the  method  of  its  cap- 
ture, and  giving  brief  narrations 
of  encounters  with  the  larger  ones. 
He  exhibited,  with  the  most  pride, 
a  beautiful  silver-gray  foxskin,  and 
an  odd-looking  spotted  and  coarse- 
haired  skin,   stuffed  with  moss   into 


1 6  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

some  semblance  of  its  form  in  the 
flesh.  This  he  brought  to  the  fire- 
side, and  set  on  its  fin-like  hinder 
feet,  for  the  inspection  of  his  guests. 

"  What  on  airth  is  it  ? "  Seth  Bee- 
man  asked. 

"  'Tain't  of  the  airth,  but  of  the 
water,"  Job  answered,  with  a  chuckle. 
"  I  killed  it  on  the  ice  of  the  lake 
airly  in  the  winter.  One  of  the  sojers 
at  the  Fort  see  it,  an'  he  says  it's  a 
seal  fish  belongin*  to  the  sea,  where 
he's  seen  no  end  on  'em.  But  them 
sojers  to  the  Fort  is  an  ign'ant  set  like 
all  the  reg'lars,  that  we  rangers  always 
despised  as  bad  as  they  did  us,  an*  it 
don't  look  no  ways  reasonable  that 
sech  a  creatur'  could  come  all  the  way 
up  the  St.  Lawrence,  an'  the  Iriquois 
River,  an'  most  the  len'th  o'  this  lake. 
My  idee  is,  it's  a  fresh-water  mare- 
maid,  an'  nat'ral  to  this  lake." 

If    Seth   had    any  doubt    of    this 


Coming  into  the   PVilderness         17 

theory,  he  gave  it  no  expression,  and 
the  hunter  went  on  : 

"  An  ol'  Injin  told  me  that  there's 
always  ben  one  o'  these  cretur's  seen 
in  this  lake  a  spell  afore  every  wav 
that's  ever  ben.  But  I  hope  the  sign 
*11  fail  this  time.  I've  seen  enough 
o'  war  an'  I  don't  see  no  chance  of 
another,  all  Canady  bein'  took  an'  the 
Injins  in  these  parts  bein'  quilled." 

The  johnny-cake,  having  been  bak- 
ing for  some  time  in  its  last  turn  on 
the  board,  was  now  pronounced  done. 
The  mixed  contents  of  the  frying-pan 
were  turned  out  on  a  wooden  trencher, 
and  conversation  was  suspended  for 
the  more  important  matter  of  supper. 
Not  long  after  this  was  disposed  of, 
the  host  and  his  guests  betook  them- 
selves to  sleep  in  quilts  and  blankets 
on  the  puncheon  floor,  with  their  feet 
to  the  blazing  backlog  and  glowing 
bed  of  coals. 
a 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  NEW   HOME 

The  light  of  a  cloudless  March  morn« 
ing  pervaded  the  circumscribed  land- 
scape when  the  inmates  of  the  cabin 
were  astir  again.  Not  many  moments 
later,  a  sudden  booming  report  broke 
the  stillness  and  rolled  in  sullen  echoes 
back  and  forth  from  mountains  and 
forested  shores. 

"  The  sunrise  gun  to  Fort  Ti,"  Job 
said,  in  reply  to  the  questioning  look 
of  his  guests.  ' *  They  hain't  no  other 
use  for  their  powder  now." 

A  fainter  report,  and  its  fainter  an- 
swering echoes,  boomed  through  the 
breathless  air. 

An'  that's  Crown  P'int  Fort,  ten 


i< 


The  New   Home  19 

mile  furder  down  the  lake.  They 
help  to  keep  us  from  getting  lonesome 
up  here  in  the  woods. ' '  And,  indeed, 
there  was  a  comfortable  assurance  of 
human  neighborhood  and  helpful 
strength  in  these  mighty  voices  that 
shook  the  primeval  forest  with  their 
dull  thunder. 

''  I  don't  sca'cely  ever  go  nigh 
the  forts,"  Job  continued.  "  I  don't 
like  them  reg'lars  an'  their  toppin' 
ways. 

After  fortifying  themselves  with  a 
breakfast,  in  no  wise  differing  from 
their  last  meal,  the  travellers  set  fordi 
on  the  last  stage  of  their  journey,  Job 
volunteering  to  accompany  them  upon 
it,  and  see  them  established  in  their 
new  home.  They  had  not  gone  far 
on  their  way  down  the  narrow  channel 
of  the  creek  when  it  brought  them  to 
the  broad,  snow-clad  expanse  of  the 
lake,  lying  white  and  motionless  be- 


20  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

tween  its  rugged  shores,  bristling  with 
the  forest,  save  where,  on  their  left, 
was  a  stretch  of  cleared  ground,  in  the 
midst  of  which  stood,  like  a  grim  sen- 
tinel, grown  venerable  with  long  years 
of  steadfast  watch,  the  gray  battle- 
ments of  Fort  Ticonderoga. 

Here  and  there  could  be  seen  red- 
coated  soldiers,  bright  dots  of  color  in 
the  colorless  winter  landscape,  and, 
above  them,  lazily  flaunting  in  the 
light  breeze,  shone  the  red  cross  of 
England.  The  old  ranger  gave  the 
flag  the  tribute  of  a  military  saluie, 
while  his  heart  swelled  with  pride  at 
sight  of  the  banner  for  which  he  had 
fought,  and  which  he  had  followed 
almost  to  where  it  now  waved,  in  the 
humiliation  of  Abercrombie's  defeat, 
and  here  had  seen  it  planted  in  Am- 
herst's triumphant  advance. 

In  Seth  Beeman's  breast  it  stirred 
no  such  thrill.     It  had  no  such  associa- 


The  New  Home  n 

tions  with  deeds  in  which  he  had 
borne  a  part,  and  to  him,  as  to  mcny 
another  of  his  people,  it  was  becoming 
a  symbol  of  oppression  rather  than  an 
object  of  pride.  To  Nathan's  boyish 
eyes  it  was  a  most  beautiful  thing, 
without  meaning,  but  of  beauty.  His 
heart  beat  quick  as  the  rattling  drums 
and  the  shrill  notes  of  the  fife  sum- 
moned the  garrison  to  parade. 

The  oxen  went  at  a  brisker  pace  on 
the  unobstructed  surface  of  the  lake, 
and  the  travellers  soon  came  to  a  little 
creek  not  far  up  which  was  the  clear- 
ing that  Seth  Beeman  had  made  dur- 
ing the  previous  summer.  In  the 
midst  of  it  stood  the  little  log  house 
that  was  henceforth  to  be  their  home, 
the  shed  for  the  cattle,  and  a  stack  of 
wild  hay,  inconspicuous  among  log 
heaps  almost  as  large  as  they,  looking 
anything  but  homelike  with  the 
smokeless  chimney  and  pathless  ap- 


22  A  Hero  of  TUonderoga 

proach.  Nor,  when  entered,  was  the 
bare  interior  much  more  cheerful. 

A  fire,  presently  blazing  on  the 
hearth,  soon  enlivened  it.  The  floor 
was  neatly  swept  with  a  broom  fash- 
ioned of  hemlock  twigs  by  Job's  ready 
hands.  The  little  stock  of  furniture 
was  brought  in.  The  pewter  table- 
ware was  ranged  on  the  rough  corner 
shelves.  Ruth  added  here  and  there 
such  housewifely  touches  as  only  a 
woman  can  give.  The  change,  wrought 
in  so  brief  a  space,  seemed  a  magical 
transformation.  What  two  hours  ago 
was  but  a  barren  crib  of  rough,  clay- 
chinked  logs,  was  now  a  furnished 
living-room,  cozy  with  rude,  home- 
like comfort. 

Then  the  place  was  hanselled  with 
its  first  regularly  prepared  dinner,  the 
first  meal  beneath  its  roof  at  which  a 
woman  had  presided.  Job,  loath  to 
leave  the  most  humanized  habitation 


The  New   Home  23 

that  he  had  seen  for  months,  set  forth 
for  his  own  lonely  cabin.  Except  the 
unneighborly  inmates  of  the  Fort, 
these  were  his  nearest  neighbors,  and 
to  them,  for  his  old  comrade's  sake, 
he  felt  a  closer  friendship  than  had 
warmed  his  heart  for  many  a  year. 

Though  it  was  March,  winter  lacked 
many  days  of  being  spent  in  this  lati- 
tude, and,  during  their  continuance, 
Seth  was  busy  with  his  axe,  widening 
the  clearing  with  slow,  persistent  in- 
roads upon  the  surrounding  forest,  and 
piling  the  huge  log  heaps  for  next 
spring's  burning.  Nathan  gave  a  will- 
ing and  helpful  hand  to  the  piling  of 
the  brush,  and  took  practical  lessons 
in  that  accomplishment  so  necessary 
to  the  pioneer — the  woodsman's  craft. 
Within  doors  his  mother,  with  little 
Martha  for  her  companion,  plied  cards 
and  spinning-wheel,  with  the  frugal 
store  of  wool  and  flax  brought  from 


24  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

the  old  home.  So  their  busy  hands 
kept  loneliness  at  bay,  even  amid  the 
dreariness  of  the  wintry  wilderness. 

At  last  the  south  wind  blew  with  a 
tempered  breath.  Hitherto  unseen 
stumps  appeared  above  the  settling 
snow,  the  gray  haze  of  woods  purpled 
with  a  tinge  of  spring,  and  the  caw  of 
returning  crows  pleased  their  ears, 
tired  of  the  winter's  silence. 

Seth  tapped  the  huge  old  maples 
with  a  gouge,  and  the  sap,  dripping 
from  spouts  of  sumac  wood,  was 
caught  in  rough-hewn  troughs.  From 
these  it  was  carried  in  buckets  on  a 
neck-yoke  to  the  boiling  place,  an 
open-fronted  shanty.  Before  it  the 
big  potash  kettle  was  hung  on  a  tree 
trunk,  so  balanced  on  a  stump  that  it 
could  be  swung  over  or  off  the  fire  at 
will.  Sugaring  brought  pleasure  as 
well  as  hard  labor  to  Nathan.  There 
were  quiet  hours  spent  in  the  shanty 


The  New  Home  25 

with  his  father,  with  little  to  do  but 
mend  the  fire  and  watch  the  boiling 
sap  walloping  and  frothing,  half  hid- 
den beneath  the  clouds  of  steam  that 
filled  the  woods  with  sweet  odor. 

Sometimes  Job  joined  them  and 
told  of  his  lonely  scouts  in  the  Ranger 
service,  and  of  bush  fights  with  In- 
dians and  their  French  allies,  and  of 
encounters  with  wild  beasts,  tales 
made  more  impressive  in  their  rela- 
tion by  the  loneliness  of  the  camp- 
fire,  with  the  circle  of  wild  lights  and 
shadows  leaping  around  it  in  the  edge 
of  the  surrounding  darkness,  out  of 
which  came,  perhaps  from  far  away, 
the  howl  of  a  wolf  or  the  nearer  hoot 
of  the  great  horned  owl. 

Sometimes  Martha  spent  part  of  a 
day  in  camp  with  her  brother,  helping 
in  womanly  ways  that  girls  so  early 
acquired  in  the  training  of  those 
times,  when  every  one  of  the  house- 


26  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

hold  must  learn  helpfulness  and  self- 
reliance.  But  the  little  sister  enjoyed 
most  the  evenings  when  the  syrup 
was  taken  to  the  house  and  sugared 
off.  The  children  surfeited  them- 
selves with  sugar  "  waxed  "  on  snow, 
and  their  parents,  and  Job,  if  he 
chanced  to  be  there,  shared  of  this 
most  delicious  of  the  few  backwoods 
luxuries,  and  the  five  made  a  jolly 
family  party. 

One  morning,  when  the  surface  of 
the  coarse-grained  old  snow  was  cov- 
ered with  one  of  the  light  later  falls, 
known  as  "  sugar  snow,"  as  Seth  and 
his  son  were  on  their  way  to  the  sugar 
place,  the  latter  called  his  father's 
attention  to  a  large  track  bearing 
some  resemblance  to  the  imprint  of  a 
naked  human  foot,  and  tending  with 
some  meandering  in  the  same  direc- 
tion that  they  were  going. 

"Why,"    said    Seth,    at   the    first 


The  New  Home  I'j 

glance,  "  it's  a  bear,  an'  if  he's  been 
to  the  camp,  I'm  afraid  he's  done  mis- 
chief, for  they're  meddlesome  crea- 
tur's.  But  there  wa'n't  much  left 
there  for  him  to  hurt,"  he  added, 
after  taking  a  brief  mental  inventory 
of  the  camp's  contents. 

"  I  can't  think  of  nothing  but  the 
hunk  of  pork  we  had  to  keep  the  big 
kittle  from  b'ilin'  over,"  said  Nathan, 
"  and  a  little  mite  of  syrup  that  we 
left  in  the  little  kittle  'cause  there 
was  more'n  we  could  carry  home  in 
the  pails." 

"He's  welcome  to  that  if  he'sleftthe 
pork ;  we  hain't  no  pork  to  feed  bears. ' ' 

Now,  as  they  drew  near  the  camp, 
they  heard  a  strange  commotion  in 
its  neighborhood ;  a  medley  of  smoth- 
ered angry  growls,  impatient  whines, 
unwieldy  floundering,  and  a  dull  thud 
and  clank  of  iron,  the  excited  squall- 
ing of  a  party  of  jays,  and  the  chatter- 


28  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

ing  jeers  of  a  red  squirrel.  Running 
forward  in  cautious  haste,  they  pres- 
ently discovered  the  cause  of  this  odd 
confusion  of  noises  to  be  a  large  black 
bear. 

His  head  was  concealed  in  the  pot- 
bellied syrup  kettle,  held  fast  in  that 
position  by  the  bail,  that,  in  his  eager- 
ness to  lick  out  the  last  drop  of  stolen 
sweet,  had  slipped  behind  his  ears. 
His  frantic  efforts  to  get  rid  of  his 
self-imposed  muzzle  were  so  funny 
that,  after  their  first  moment  of  be- 
wilderment, the  two  spectators  could 
but  shout  with  laughter. 

Now  upreared,  the  blindfolded  bear 
would  strike  wildly  at  the  kettle  with 
his  forepaws ;  then,  falling  on  his  back, 
claw  it  furiously  with  his  hinder  ones; 
then,  regaining  his  feet,  rush  headlong 
till  brought  to  a  sudden  stand  by  an 
unseen  tree  trunk.  Recovering  from 
the  shock,  he  would  remain  motion- 


The  New  Home  2'9 

less  for  a  moment,  as  if  devising  some 
new  means  of  relief,  but  would  pres- 
ently resume  the  same  round  of  un- 
availing devices,  with  the  constant 
accompaniment  of  smothered  expres- 
sions of  rage  and  terror. 

But  there  was  little  time  for  laugh- 
ter when  a  precious  kettle  and  a  fat 
bear  might  at  any  moment  be  lost  by 
the  fracture  of  one  and  the  escape  of 
the  other.  Seth  had  no  weapon  but 
his  axe,  but  with  this  he  essayed 
prompt  attack,  the  happy  opportunity 
for  which  was  at  once  offered.  In  one 
of  his  blind,  unguided  rushes,  the  bear 
charged  directly  toward  the  camp,  till 
his  iron-clad  head  struck  with  a  re- 
sounding clang  against  the  great  boil- 
ing kettle.  As  he  reeled  backward 
from  the  shock,  half  stunned  by  it, 
and  bewildered  by  the  unaccustomed 
sound  that  still  rang  in  his  ears,  Seth 
was  beside  him  with  axe  uplifted. 


3©  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga    • 

Only  an  instant  he  deliberated  where 
and  how  to  strike;  at  the  skull  he 
dared  not  with  the  axe-head,  for  fear 
of  breaking  the  kettle,  and  he  disliked 
to  strike  with  the  blade  further  back 
for  fear  of  disfiguring  the  skin.  But 
this  was  the  preferable  stroke,  and  in 
the  next  instant  the  axe-blade  fell  with 
a  downright  blow,  so  strong  and  well 
aimed  that  it  severed  the  spinal  col- 
umn just  forward  of  the  shoulders. 
The  great  brute  went  down,  paralyzed 
beyond  all  motion,  to  fall  in  a  help- 
less heap  and  yield  up  his  life  with  a 
few  feeble  gasps. 

"Oh,  father,"  cried  Nathan,  the 
first  to  break  the  sudden  silence,  with 
a  voice  tremulous  in  exultation,  "  to 
think  we've  got  a  bear.  Won't  moth- 
er and  Marthy  be  proud?  and  won't 
Job  think  we're  real  hunters?  " 

Waiting  but  a  moment  to  stroke  the 
glossy  fur  and  lift  a  huge  inert  paw, 


The  New  Home  31 

but  such  a  little  while  ago  so  terrible, 
he  sped  home  to  bring  his  mother  and 
sister  to  see  the  unexpected  prize, 
while  the  jays  renewed  their  querulous 
outcry,  and  the  squirrel  vociferously 
scoffed  the  fallen  despoiler  of  his  stolen 
nuts. 

The  flesh  made  a  welcome  addition 
to  the  settler's  scanty  store  of  meat, 
the  fat  furnished  a  medium  for  frying 
the  hitherto  impossible  doughnut,  and 
Job  promised  to  bring  them  a  hand- 
some price  for  the  skin,  when  he 
should  sell  it  with  his  own  peltry  to 
the  fur  traders.  But  the  praise  he 
bestowed  upon  Seth's  coolness  in  the 
strange  encounter  was  sweeter  to 
Nathan  than  all  else. 

As  the  days  went  on  the  advance  of 
spring  became  more  rapid  and  more 
apparent.  Already  the  clearing  was 
free  from  snow,  and  even  in  the 
shadow  of  the  forest  the  tops  of  the 


32  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

cradle  knolls  showed  the  brown  mats 
of  last  year's  leaves  above  the  surface, 
that  was  no  longer  a  pure  white,  but 
littered  with  the  winter  downfall  of 
twigs,  moss,  and  bits  of  bark,  and 
everywhere  it  was  gray  with  innumer- 
able swarming  mites  of  snow  fleas. 
Great  flocks  of  wild  geese  harrowed 
the  sky.  Ducks  went  whistling  in 
swift  flight  just  above  the  tree  tops, 
or  settled  in  the  puddles  beginning  to 
form  along  the  border  of  the  marsh. 
Here  muskrats  were  getting  first  sight 
of  the  sun  after  months  of  twilight 
spent  beneath  the  ice. 

In  the  earliest  April  days  of  open 
water,  when  the  blackbirds,  on  every 
bordering  elm  and  water  maple,  were 
filling  the  air  with  a  jangle  of  harsh 
and  liquid  notes,  and  the  frogs,  among 
the  drift  of  floating  weeds,  were  purr- 
ing an  unremitting  croak,  Job  took 
Nathan  out  on  the  marshes,  and  in- 


The  New  Home  33 

structed  him  in  the  art  of  shooting 
the  great  pickerel  now  come  to  spawn 
in  the  warm  shallows. 

"  Never  shoot  at  'em,"  said  he, 
when  a  shot  from  his  smooth-bore  had 
turned  an  enormous  fellow's  white 
belly  to  the  sun,  and  he  quickly  lifted 
the  fish  into  the  canoe;  "  if  you  do, 
you  won't  hit  'em.  Always  shoot 
under,  a  mite  or  more,  accordin*  to 
the  depth  o'  water." 

Powder  and  lead  were  too  precious 
to  waste  much  of  them  on  fish,  so  the 
old  hunter  made  his  pupil  a  hornbeam 
bow  and  arrows  with  spiked  heads. 
With  these  weapons  the  boy  soon  be- 
came so  skilled  that  he  kept  the  table 
well  supplied  with  this  agreeable  varia- 
tion of  its  frugal  fare. 

Song-birds  came  in  fewer  numbers 
in  those  days  of  wide  wildernesses 
than  now,  but  there  were  bluebirds 
and  song  sparrows  enough  to  enliven 

3 


34  -^  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

the  clearing  with  sweet  songs,  and 
little  Martha  found  squirrel  cups 
blooming  in  the  warmest  corners  of 
the  field.  As  the  days  grew  longer 
and  warmer  they  grew  busier,  for  Seth 
was  diligently  getting  his  crops  in 
among  the  black  stumps. 

Job,  having  foreseen  his  friend's 
need  of  some  sort  of  water  craft  when 
the  lake  should  open,  had  fashioned 
for  him  a  log  canoe  from  the  trunk  of 
a  great  pine,  and  modelled  it  as  grace- 
fully as  his  own  birch,  though  it  was 
many  times  a  heavier,  as  it  was  a 
steadier,  craft. 

One  pleasant  afternoon  in  early 
May,  when  the  lake  was  quite  clear 
of  ice,  Seth  and  his  son,  with  Job  as 
their  instructor  in  the  art  of  canoe 
navigation,  made  a  trip  in  the  new 
boat.  They  paddled  down  the  creek, 
now  a  broad  bit  of  water  from  the 
spring    overflow.     When    they  came 


The  New  Home  35 

to  the  lake,  rippled  with  a  brisk  north- 
ern breeze,  they  found  their  visit  well 
timed,  for  a  rare  and  pretty  sight  was 
before  them,  so  rare  and  pretty  that 
Job  paddled  back  with  all  speed  for 
the  mother  and  daughter  that  they, 
too,  might  see  it. 

A  mile  below  the  mouth  of  the 
creek  a  large  vessel  was  coming,  un- 
der all  sail,  with  the  British  flag  fly- 
ing bravely  above  the  white  cloud 
of  canvas.  They  could  hear  the  in- 
spiring strains  of  martial  music,  and, 
when  the  noble  vessel  swept  past  not 
half  a  mile  away,  they  could  see  the 
gayly  dressed  officers  and  the  blue- 
jacketed  sailors  swarming  on  her 
deck. 

"  It's  the  sloop  from  St.  Johns," 
said  Job.  "  She  comes  two  or  three 
times,  whilst  the  lake's  open,  with 
stores  for  the  garrison  to  the  Fort. 
It's  an  easier  trail  than  the  road  from 


36  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

Albany.  Pretty  soon  you'll  hear  her 
speak." 

Almost  at  his  words  a  puff  of  smoke 
jetted  out  from  her  black  side,  and, 
as  it  drifted  across  her  deck,  it  was 
followed  by  the  loud,  sullen  roar  of  the 
cannon.  In  response  a  smoke  cloud 
drifted  away  from  the  Fort,  and  a  mo- 
ment later  a  roar  of  welcome  rein- 
forced the  failing  echoes.  Again  and 
again  the  sloop  and  the  Fort  ex- 
changed salutes,  till  the  new  settlers 
ceased  to  be  startled  by  such  thunder 
as  they  had  never  before  heard  under 
a  cloudless  sky. 

"  They  hain't  nothin'  to  do  with 
their  powder  nowadays,  but  to  fool  it 
away  in  sech  nonsense,"  said  the 
Ranger,  as  the  sloop  came  to  anchor 
in  front  of  the  Fort.  **  Arter  all  it's 
a  better  use  for  it  than  killin'  folks, 
erless,"  he  deliberately  excepted,  "  it 
might  be  Injins."  , 


CHAPTER   III 

A   VISIT   TO   THE   FORT 

The  summer  brought  more  settlers 
to  these  inviting  lands  of  level,  fertile 
soil,  and  when  the  woods  were  again 
bright  with  autumnal  hues,  their  broad 
expanse  of  variegated  color  was 
blotched  with  many  a  square  of  un- 
sightly new  clearing.  Job  Carpenter 
looked  with  disfavor  upon  such  in- 
fringement of  the  hunter's  domain, 
but  it  was  welcomed  by  the  Beemans. 
Though  Seth's  active  out-door  em- 
ployment and  the  constant  compan- 
ionship of  nature  made  him  less  lonely 
than  his  wife,  yet  he  was  of  a  social 
nature  and  glad  of  human  companion- 
ship ;  while  Ruth,  sometimes  lonely  in 


38  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

the  isolation  of  her  new  home,  rejoiced 
in  the  neighborhood  of  other  women. 

Only  a  mile  away  were  the  New- 
tons,  a  large  and  friendly  family,  and 
within  three  miles  were  four  more 
friendly  households,  and  another  at 
the  falls  of  the  turbid  Lemon  Fair. 
At  this  point  a  saw  mill  was  being 
built  and  a  grist  mill  talked  of.  With 
that  convenience  established  so  close 
at  hand,  there  would  be  no  more  need 
of  the  long  journey  to  the  mill  at 
Skeenesborough,  a  voyage  that,  in  the 
best  of  weather,  required  two  days  to 
accomplish. 

The  settlers  at  first  pounded  their 
corn  into  samp,  or  finer  meal  for  john- 
ny-cake, by  the  slow  and  laborious 
plumping  mill,  a  huge  wooden  mor- 
tar with  a  spring  pole  pestle. 

**  Oh,  mother,"  said  Nathan,  one 
summer  aftf  ■  "» >on,  as  for  a  while  he 
stopped  the  r  <;jlar  thump,  thump  of 


A  Visit  to  the  Fort  39 

the  plumping  mill  to  wipe  his  hot  face 
and  rest  his  arms  that  ached  with  the 
weary  downpull  of  the  great  pestle, 
"  when  do  you  s'pose  the  folks  to  the 
Fair  will  get  the  gris'  mill  done? " 

"  Afore  long,  I  hope,  for  your  sake, 
my  boy,"  she  answered,  cheerily, 
through  the  window.  *  *  Let  me  spell 
you  awhile  and  you  take  a  good  rest. ' ' 

Laying  her  wool  cards  aside,  she 
came  out  and  set  her  strong  hands  to 
the  pestle,  while  Nathan  ran  out  to 
the  new  road  to  see  what  ox-teamster 
of  unfamiliar  voice  was  bawling  his 
vociferous  wayalong  its  root-entangled 
and  miry  course.  Presently  the  boy 
came  back,  breathless  with  the  haste 
of  bearing  great  news. 

"  Oh,  mother,  they're  carryin*  the 
stones  and  fixin's  for  the  new  mill, 
and  the  man  says  they'll  be  ready  for 
grindin*  before  winter  sets  in.  Then 
it'll  be  good-by  to  you,  old  *  Up-an'- 


40  A  Hero  of  T'tconderoga 

down,'  and  good  riddance  to  bad  rub- 
bage,"  and  he  brought  the  pestle 
down  with  energy  on  the  half-pounded 
grist  of  samp. 

"  Don'  revile  the  plumpin'  mill, 
Nathan.  It's  been  a  good  friend  in 
time  o'  need.  Mebby  you'll  miss  the 
trips  to  Skeenesborough  with  your 
father.  You've  always  lotted  on 
them." 

"  Yes,  but  I'd  rather  go  to  the  Fort 
and  play  with  the  boys,  any  day,  aid 
I'll  have  more  time  when  samp  pound- 
in'  is  done  and  ended." 

He  had  been  with  his  father  twice 
to  the  Fort  to  see  its  wonders,  and, 
brief  as  the  visits  were,  they  sufficed 
to  make  him  acquainted  with  the  boys 
of  the  garrison,  and,  for  the  time,  a 
partner  in  their  games.  Before  the 
summer  was  out,  the  little  Yankee  be- 
came a  great  favorite  with  the  few 
English  and  Irish  boys  whose  fathers 


A  Visit  to  the  Fort  41 

were  soldiers  of  the  little  garrison. 
He  taught  them  how  to  shoot  with 
his  hornbeam  bow  and  spiked  arrows, 
and  many  another  bit  of  woodcraft 
learned  of  his  fast  friend  Job,  while 
they  taught  him  unheard-of  games, 
and  told  him  tales  of  the  marvellous 
world  beyond  the  sea,  a  world  that 
was  as  a  dream  to  him. 

His  Yankee  inquisitiveness  made 
him  acquainted  with  every  nook  and 
corner  of  the  fortification,  and  he  was 
even  one  day  taken  into  the  com- 
mandant's quarters,  that  the  beautiful 
wife  of  that  fine  gentleman  might  see 
from  what  manner  of  embryo  grew 
these  Yankees,  who  were  becoming 
so  troublesome  to  His  Majesty,  King 
George.  She  was  so  pleased  with  his 
frank,  simple  manner  and  shrewd  an- 
swers that  she  dismissed  him  with  a 
bright,  new  English  shilling,  the  larg- 
est sum  that  he  had  yet  possessed. 


42  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

"  Really,  William,"  she  afterwards 
remarked  to  her  husband,  "  if  this  be 
a  specimen  of  your  terrible  Yankees, 
they  be  vtry  like  our  own  people,  in 
speech  and  actions,  only  sharper  wit- 
ted,  and  they  surely  show  close  kin- 
ship with  us  in  spite  of  such  long 
separation." 

"  You  little  know  them,"  s?id  Cap- 
tain Delaplace,  laughing.  *  *  They  are 
a  turbulent,  upstart  breed.  I  fear 
only  a  sound  drubbing,  and,  perhaps, 
the  hanging  of  a  score  of  their  leaders, 
will  teach  them  obedience  to  His 
Majesty." 

"  I  would  be  sorry  to  have  this  little 
man  drubbed  or  hanged,"  said  she, 
with  a  sigh;  "  surely  he  is  not  of  the 
stuff  rebels  are  made  of." 

"  The  very  stuff,  my  dear.  Bold 
and  self-reliant,  and  impatient  of  con- 
trol, as  you  may  see.  If  ever  there 
comes  an  outbreak  of  these  discon- 


A  Vhit  to  the  Fort  43 

tented  people,  I  warrant  you'll  find 
this  boy  deserving  the  drubbing  and 
getting  it,  too,  for  His  Majesty's 
troops  would  make  short  work  of 
such  rabble." 


CHAPTER   IV 

THE  NEW   HAMPSHIRE  GRANTS 

A  year  later,  the  dispute  of  the  Gov- 
ernors of  New  York  and  New  Hamp- 
shire, concerning  the  boundaries  of 
the  two  provinces,  was  at  its  height, 
and  the  quarrel  between  claimants  of 
grants  of  the  same  lands,  under  char- 
ters from  both  governors,  became 
every  day  more  violent.  The  dis- 
puted territory  was  that  between  the 
Connecticut  River  and  Lake  Cham- 
plaiii,  and  was  for  a  long  time  known 
as  the  New  Hampshire  Grants. 

If  a  New  York  grantee  found  the 
claim  which  he  had  selected,  or  which 
had  been  allotted  to  him,  occupied  by 
a  New  Hampshire  grantee,  when  the 


The  New  Hampshire   Grants       45 

strength  of  his  party  was  sufficient  he 
would  take  forcible  possession  of  the 
land,  without  regard  to  the  improve- 
ments   made    upon    it,    and   without 
making  any   compensation   therefor. 
He  was  seldom  left  long  in  enjoyment 
of  possession    thus    gained,    for  the 
friends  of  the  New  Hampshire  grantee 
quickly   rallied   to   his   aid  and  sum- 
marily ousted  the  aggressor,  who,  if 
he  proved  too  stubborn,  was  likely  to 
be  roughly  handled,  and  have  set  upon 
his  back  the  imprint  of  the  beech  seal, 
the  name  given  to  the  blue-beech  rod 
wherewith  such  offenders  were  chas- 
tised.    The  New  Hampshire  grantees 
were  as  unscrupulous  in  their  eject- 
ment of  New  York  claimants  who  had 
first  established  themselves  on  the  New 
Hampshire   Grants.     Surveyors,   act- 
ing under  the  authority  of  New  York, 
were  especially  obnoxious  to  settlers 
of  the  other  party,  and  rough  encoun- 


46  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

ters  of  the  opposing  claimants  were 
not  infrequent.  Seth  Beeman  and 
his  neighbors  had  all  taken  up  land 
under  a  New  Hampshire  charter,  with- 
out a  thought  of  its  validity  being 
questioned. 

One  bright  June  morning,  Nathan 
was  watching  the  corn  that,  pushing  its 
tender  blades  above  the  black  mould 
in  a  corner  of  the  clearing,  offered 
sweet  and  tempting  morsels  to  the 
thieving  crows.  It  was  a  lazy,  sleep- 
enticing  occupation,  when  all  the 
crows  but  one,  who  sat  biding  his 
opportunity  on  a  dry  tree  top,  had 
departed,  cawing  encouragement  to 
one  another,  in  quest  of  a  less  vigi- 
lantly guarded  field.  There  was  no 
further  need  for  beating  with  his  im- 
provised drumsticks  on  the  hollow 
topmost  log  of  the  fence,  to  the  tune 
of  "  Uncle  Dan,  Uncle  Dan,  Unck 
Dan,   Dan,   Dan,"  which  would  not 


The  New  Hampshire   Grants       47 

scare   the  wise   old  veteran  from  his 
steadfast  waiting. 

The  indolent  fluting  of  the  hermit 
thrushes  rang   languidly  through  the 
leafy  chambers  of  the  forest,  and  the 
wood  pewees  sang  their  pensive  song 
on  the  bordering  boughs,  too  content 
with  song  and  mere  existence  to  chase 
the  moth  that  wavered  nearest  their 
perch.     The   languor   of   their   notes 
pervaded  all  the  senses  of  the  boy, 
and,  with  his  body  in  the  shade  of  the 
log  fence  and  his  bare  feet  in  the  sun- 
shine, he  fell  into  a  doze. 

Suddenly  he  was  awakened  by  an 
alarmed  outcry  of  the  crow,  now 
sweeping  in  narrow  circles  above  some 
new  intruder  upon  his  domain.  Then 
he  became  aware  of  strange  voices, 
the  tramp  of  feet,  the  swish  of  branches 
pushed  aside  regaining  their  places,  a 
metallic  clink,  and  occasional  lightly 
delivered  axe  strokes.     Mounting  the 


4$  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

topmost  log  of  the  fence,  and  shading 
his  eyes  with  his  hands,  he  peered  into 
the  twilight  of  the  woods.  To  this 
his  eyes  had  hardly  accustomed  them- 
selves, when  he  saw  what  sent  flashes 
of  anger  and  chills  of  dread  chasing 
one  another  through  his  veins.  But 
a  few  rods  away,  and  coming  towards 
him,  were  two  men,  one  bearing  the 
end  of  a  surveyor's  chain  and  a  bundle 
of  wire  rods,  the  other  carrying  an  axe 
and  gun.  A  little  behind  these  were 
two  men  similarly  equipped,  and  still 
further  in  the  rear,  half  hidden  by  the 
screen  of  undergrowth,  more  figures 
were  discovered,  one  of  whom  was 
squinting  through  the  sights  of  a  com- 
pass, whose  polished  brass  glitter  ,d  in 
a  stray  sunbeam.  Nathan  was  sure 
this  must  be  the  party  of  the  New 
York  surveyor  of  whom  there  had 
been  a  rumor  in  the  settlement,  and 
he  felt  that  trouble  was  at  hand. 


ne  New  Hampshire   Grants      49 


t  < 


Hello,  here's  aclearin',"  the  fore- 
most man,  as  he  ran  to  the  fence, 
called  back  to  the  one  at  the  other 
end  of  the  chain.  "  Jenkins,  tell  Mr. 
Felton  there's  a  fenced  clearin*  here, 
— and  boy,"  now  deigning  to  notice 
so  insignificant  an  object. 

"  Stake,"  cried  Jenkins. 

As  the  first  speaker  planted  one  of 
the  wire  rods  beside  the  fence,  Jenkins 
pulled  up  the  last  one  stuck  in  the 
woods,  at  the  same  time  shouting  the 
news  back  to  the  surveyor. 

"  Hold  on,  boy,"  the  first  speaker 
said,  as  Nathan  jumped  from  the 
fence.  "  You  stay  here  till  Mr.  Fel- 
ton comes  up." 

"I'm  going  home,"  Nathan  an- 
swered boldly;  **  if  Mr.  Felton  wants 
me  he  can  come  there." 

"  You  sassy  young  rascal,"  cried 
one  of  the  men,  who  carried  a  gun, 
bringing  his  weapon  to  a  ready;  "  you 


5©  A  Hero  of  T'tconderoga 

stand  where  you  be  or  I'll — "  and  he 
tapped  the  butt  of  his  gun  impress- 
ively. 

"You  wouldn't  dast  to,"  Nathan 
gasped  defiantly,  but  he  went  no 
further,  and  stood  at  bay,  grinding 
the  soft  mold  under  his  naked  heel 
while  he  cast  furtive  glances  at  the 
intruders,  till  the  remainder  of  the 
party  came  up.  The  surveyor,  im- 
pressed with  the  dignity  of  his  posi- 
tion, maintained  a  haughty  bearing 
toward  all  the  members  of  his  party 
save  one,  a  swarthy,  thick-set,  low- 
browed man,  whom  he  addressed  as 
Mr.  Graves. 

"  A  fine  clearing,  indeed,"  said  Mr. 
Felton  when  he  came  to  the  fence. 
**  I  wonder  what  Yankee  scoundrel 
has  dared  to  so  seize,  hold  and  occupy 
the  lands  of  the  Royal  Colony  of  New 
York." 
.    *  *  Mayhap  this  younker  can  tell  you, 


The  New  Hampshire   Grants       51 

sir,**  said  the  man  guarding  the  boy, 
and  lowering  his  gun  as  he  spoke. 

"  Boy,  what  scoundrel  has  dared  to 
steal  this  land  and  establish  himself 
upon  it  without  leave  or  license  of  His 
Excellency,  the  Governor  of  New 
York?  Yes,  and  cut  down  the  pine 
trees,  especially  reserved  for  the  mast- 
ing of  His  Majesty's  navy,"  and  he 
tapped  the  top  log  impressively. 

"It's  holler,  Mr.  Felton,"  Jenkins 
suggested,  satisfying  himself  of  the 
fact  by  a  resonant  thump  of  his  axe. 

"Who  stole  this  land?  Where's 
your  tongue,  boy?"  Mr.  Felton  de- 
manded sharply. 

But  the  boy,  out  of  mind  an  instant, 
in  that  instant  was  out  of  sight. 
Many  a  time  he  had  heard  Job  re- 
count the  manner  of  retreat  practised 
by  the  Rangers,  and  now  the  knowl- 
edge served  him  well.  While  the  sur- 
veryor's  party  was  engaged  with  the 


52  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

pine,  he  slipped  down  on  the  same 
side  of  the  fence,  gained  the  veiling  of 
a  low  bush,  wormed  his  way  a  few 
feet  along  the  ground,  reached  the 
protection  of  a  large  tree  trunk,  when 
he  leaped  to  his  feet,  and,  fleet  and 
noiseless  as  a  Ranger  himself,  fled 
from  tree  to  tree  in  a  circuitous  route 
to  his  father. 

Seth  Becman  was  hard  at  work  on 
an  extension  of  his  clearing  to  the 
westward  when  Nathan  came  up, 
panting  and  breathless. 

**  Oh,  father,  there's  a  whole  lot  of 
Yorkers  come  and  they're  runnin'  a 
line  right  through  our  clearin'." 

Seth  listened  attentively  until  the 
men  and  their  work  had  been  described 
minutely,  and  then,  without  a  word, 
resumed  the  trimming  of  the  great 
hemlock  he  had  just  felled.  As 
Nathan  waited  for  some  response,  he 
knew  by  his  father's  knitted  brow  that 


The  New  Hampshire  Grants       53 

his  thoughts  were  busy.  At  length, 
breaking  off  a  twig  of  hemlock,  he 
came  to  his  son  and  said,  handing  the 
evergreen  to  him  ; 

"  Take  this  to  Newton's  and  show 
it  to  the  men  folks,  and  say  '  There's 
trouble  to  Beeman's,'  and  then  go  on 
and  do  the  same  at  every  house, 
'round  to  Job's,  and  show  it  to  him 
and  tell  him  the  same,  and  do  what- 
ever he  tells  you.  Be  spry,  my  boy; 
I  must  stay  here  and  ta'  care  of  mother 
and  Sis.  Keep  in  the  woods  till  you 
get  clea.  of  the  Yorkers,  then  take  the 
road  and  clipper." 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  EVERGREEN   SPRIG 

Understanding  the  importance  of 
his  errand  and  guessing  its  purpose, 
Nathan  skulked  stealthily  along  the 
heavily-wooded  border  of  the  high- 
way till  past  all  chance  of  discovery, 
when  he  took  the  easier  course  of  the 
road.  The  ecstatic  melody  of  the 
thrushes'  song  and  the  pensive  strain 
of  the  pewee  had  not  changed,  yet 
now  they  were  instinct  with  cheer  and 
acceleration,  as  was  the  merry  drum- 
beat of  the  flicker  on  a  dry  branch 
overhead. 

Presently,  as  he  held  his  steady 
pace,  splashing  through  puddles  and 
pattering  along  firmer   stretches,  he 


The  Evergreen  Sprig  55 

heard  sharp  and  loud  footfalls  in  rapid 
approach.  Before  his  first  impulse  to 
strike  into  the  ready  cover  of  the 
woods  was  carried  into  effect,  a  horse-  .' 
man  galloped  around  the  turn,  and  he 
was  face  to  face  with  a  handsome 
stranger,  whose  tall,  well-knit  figure, 
heightened  by  his  seat  on  horseback, 
towered  above  the  boy  like  a  giant. 

**  Hello,"  said  the  man,  reining  up 
his  horse,  "  and  where  are  you  bound 
in  such  a  hurry,  and  who  might  you 
be? "  His  clear  gray  eyes  were  fixed 
on  Nathan,  who  noticed  pistols  in  the 
holsters,  a  long  gun  across  the  saddle 
bow,  and,  in  the  cocked  hat,  a  sprig 
of  evergreen. 

"  I'm  Seth  Beeman'sboy,"  Nathan 
answered,  pointing  in  the  direction  of 
his  home,  "  and  I'm  goin'  to  neighbor 
Newton's  of  an  arrant." 

**  Ah, — Beeman, — a  good  man,  I'm 
told.     And  what  might  take  you  to 


56  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

neighbor  Newton's  in  such  a  hurry? 
Has  that  hemlock  twig  in  your  hand 
anything  to  do  with  your  errand?" 
demanded  the  stranger,  in  an  impera- 
tive but  kindly  voice.  "  Speak  up. 
You  need  not  be  afraid  of  me." 

Nathan  looked  up  inquiringly  at 
the  bold,  handsome  face  smiling  down 
on  him. 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  of  Ethan  Al- 
len?" asked  the  stranger. 

"Oh,  yes;  only  yesterday  father 
told  about  Ethan  Allen's  throwing  the 
Yorker's  millstones  over  the  Great 
Falls  at  New  Haven." 

"Right  and  true!  Well,  I  am 
Ethan  Allen."  As  he  gave  his  name 
in  a  deep-toned  voice  of  proud  assur- 
ance, it  seemed  in  itself  a  strong  host. 
"  Your  father  sent  you  with  that  twig 
to  say  there's  trouble  at  Beeman's, 
didn't  he?" 

Nathan  looked  up  in  wonder,  ad- 


The  Evergreen  Sprig  57 

miration,  and  gladness,  and  then,  with 
the  instinctive,  unreasoned  confidence 
that  the  famous  chieftain  of  the  Grants 
was  wont  to  inspire,  told  unreservedly 
his  father's  troubles  and  directions. 
When  Allen  had  heard  it,  he  wheeled 
his  horse  beside  the  nearest  stump 
and  bade  Nathan  mount  behind  him. 

"  My  horse's  feet  will  help  you  make 
your  rounds  quicker  than  yours,  my 
man.  We've  no  time  to  lose,  for 
there's  no  telling  what  those  scoun- 
drels may  be  at.  Eight  Yorkers! 
Well,  we'll  soon  raise  good  men 
enough  to  make  short  work  of  them." 

Nathan  mounted  nimbly  to  his  as- 
signed place,  and,  clasping  as  far  as  he 
could  the  ample  waist  of  his  new 
friend,  was  borne  along  the  road  at  a 
speed  that  soon  brought  them  to  the 
log  house  of  the  Newtons.  A  man  of 
the  herculean  mould  so  common  to  the 
early  Vermonters  came  out    of  the 


58  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

house  to  meet  the  comers,  with  an 
expression  of  pleased  surprise  on  his 
good-humored  face. 

**  Why,  colonel,  we  wa'n't  expectin* 
on  you  so  soon,  but  we  hain't  no  less 
glad  to  see  you.  'Light  and  come  in. 
Mother' 11  hev  potluck  ready  to  rights. 
Why,  is  that  the  Beeman  boy  stickin* 
on  behind  you?  Anything  the  mat- 
ter over  to  Beeman's?" 

•*  No,  we  can't  'light,"  Allen  re- 
plied; and  then,  looking  down  over 
his  shoulder,  "  Do  your  errand,  my 
boy,  and  we'll  push  on." 

Nathan  held  out  the  carefully  kept 
sprig  of  evergreen  and  repeated  his 
message. 

"  Trouble  to  Beeman's,  now." 

**  Yea,  verily,"  said  Allen  to  New- 
ton, whose  face  flashed  at  the  boy's 
words.  "  Rise  up  and  gird  on  your 
swords,  you  and  your  sons.  The 
Philistines   are   upon   you  even  as  it 


The  Evergreen  Sprig  59 

has  been  prophesied.  Felton  and  his 
gang  of  land  thieves.  The  son  of 
Beh'al  was  warned  to  depart  from  the 
land  of  the  elect,  but  he  heeds  not 
those  who  cry  in  the  wilderness.  Con- 
found the  rascal!  He  must  be 
*  viewed  ' !  You  and  your  two  boys 
take  your  guns  and  jog  down  that 
way,  and  as  you  go  cut  a  goodly 
scourge  of  blue  beech,  for  verily  there 
shall  be  weeping  and  wailing  and 
gnashing  of  teeth.  We'll  rally  the 
Callenders,  and  Jones,  and  Harring- 
ton, and  North,  and  my  friend  Bee- 
man  here  will  tell  Job.  We'll  gather 
a  good  dozen.  Enough  to  mete  out 
the  vengeance  of  the  Lord  to  eight 
Yorkers,  I'll  warrant!  " 

Strange  and  abrupt  as  were  the  tran- 
sitions from  Allen's  favorite  Scriptural 
manner  of  speech  to  the  ordinary  ver- 
nacular, no  one  thought  of  laughing. 
As  the  boy  dismounted,  Allen  said: 


6o  A  Hero  of  Ttconderoga 

"  You  go  straight  to  Job  and  do  as 
he  tells  you;"  and  as  he  rode  away 
called  back,  "  everybody  lay  low  and 
keep  dark  till  you  hear  the  owl  hoot." 

Soon  Nathan  turned  from  the  road 
into  an  obscure  footpath  that  led  in 
the  direction  of  Job  Carpenter's  cabin. 
The  gloom  and  loneliness  of  the  mys- 
terious forest,  through  which  the  nar- 
row footpath  wound,  so  pervaded  it 
that  the  song  birds  seemed  awed  to 
silence,  and  the  woodpeckers  tapped 
cautiously,  as  if  afraid  of  being  heard 
by  some  enemy.  No  boy,  even  of 
backwoods  breeding,  would  care  to 
loiter  had  his  errand  been  less  urgent, 
and  he  gave  but  a  passing  notice  to 
things  ordinarily  of  absorbing  interest. 

A  mother  partridge  fluttered  along 
the  ground  in  simulated  crippledness 
while  her  callow  brood  vanished  among 
the  low-spread  leaves.  A  shy  wood 
bird  disclosed  the  secret  of  her  nest 


^e  Evergreen   Sprig  6 1 

as  he  sped  by.  Against  a  dark  pine 
gleamed  the  fiery  flash  of  a  tanager's 
plumage.  A  wood  mouse  stirred  the 
dry  leaves.  His  own  foot  touched  a 
prostrate  dead  sapling,  and  the  dry 
top  rustled  unseen  in  the  wayside 
thicket.  There  was  a  sound  of  long, 
swift  bounds,  punctuating  the  silence 
with  growing  distinctness,  and  a  hare, 
in  his  brown  summer  coat,  wide-eyed 
with  terror,  flashed  like  a  dun  streak 
across  the  path  just  before  him,  and 
close  behind  the  terrified  creature  a 
gray  lynx  shot  past,  eager  with  sight 
and  scent  of  his  prey,  closing  the  dis- 
tance with  long  leaps.  Before  the 
intermittent  scurry  of  footfalls  had 
faded  out  of  hearing  they  ceased,  and 
a  wail  of  agony  announced  the  tragical 
end  of  the  race.  The  cry  made  him 
shiver,  and  he  could  but  think  that 
the  lynx  might  have  been  a  panther 
and  the  hare  a  boy. 


62  A  Hero  of  T'tconderoga 

His  heart  grew  lighter  when  he  saw 
the  sunshine  showing  golden  green 
through  the  leafy  screen  that  bordered 
the  hunter's  little  clearing.  He  found 
Job  leaning  on  his  hoe  in  his  patch  of 
corn,  looking  wistfully  on  the  creek, 
where  the  fish  were  breaking  the  sur- 
face among  the  weeds  that  marked 
the  expanse  of  marsh  with  tender 
green,  and  where  the  sinuous  course 
of  the  channel  was  defined  by  purple 
lines  of  lily  pads.  The  message  was 
received  with  a  show  of  vexation,  and 
the  old  man  exclaimed : 

"  Plague  on  'em  all  with  their 
pitches  and  surveyin'  and  squabblin'. 
Why  can't  folks  let  the  woods  alone? 
There's  room  enough  in  the  settle- 
ments for  sech  quarrels  without  comin* 
here  to  disturb  God's  peace  with  bick- 
erin's  over  these  acres  o'  desart.  I 
thought  I'd  got  done  wi'  wars  and 
fightin's,    exceptin'     with    varmints, 


The  Evergreen  Sprig  63 

when  the  Frenchers  and  Injins  was 
whipped.  But  I  guess  there  won't 
never  be  no  peace  on  airth  and  good 
will  to  men  for  all  it's  ben  preached 
nigh  onto  eighteen  hundred  years. 
Plague  on  your  Hampshire  Grants  and 
your  York  Grants,  the  hul  bilin' ! 
Wal,  if  it  must  come  it  must,  and  I'll 
be  skelped  if  I'll  see  Yorkers  a  run- 
nin'  over  my  own  Yankee  kin.  York- 
ers is  next  to  Reg'lars  for  toppin* 
ways.     I  never  could  abear  'em." 

While  he  spoke  he  twirled  Nathan's 
hemlock  sprig  between  his  fingers  and 
now  set  it  carefully  in  the  band  of  his 
hat  and  led  the  way  to  his  cabin. 

"  And  Ethan  Allen's  in  these  bet- 
terments? Well,  them  Yorkers  '11 
wish  they'd  stayed  to  home.  He's 
hard-handed,  is  Ethan." 

The  two  were  now  in  the  cabin,  and 
Job  set  forth  a  cold  johnny-caks,  and 
some    jerked    venison    that    Nathan 


64  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

needed  no  urging  to  partake  of. 
"  'Tain't  your  mother's  cookin',  but 
it's  better'n  nothin',"  Job  said,  as 
between  mouthfuls  he  counted  out  a 
dozen  bullets  from  a  pouch  and  put 
them  in  his  pocket.  Then  he  held  up 
his  powder  horn  toward  the  light  after 
giving  it  a  shake,  and,  being  satisfied 
of  its  contents,  slung  it  over  his  shoul- 
der. Their  hunger  being  satisfied,  he 
took  the  long  smooth-bore  from  its 
hooks,  examined  the  flint,  and,  nod- 
ding to  Nathan  to  follow,  went  down 
to  his  canoe,  that  lay  bottom  up  on 
the  bank. 

"  It's  quicker  goin'  by  water  'n  by 
land,"  said  Job,  as  he  set  the  canoe 
afloat  and  stepped  into  it,  while 
Nathan  took  his  place  forward.  Im- 
pelled by  the  two  paddles,  the  light 
craft  went  swiftly  gliding  down  the 
creek,  and  then  northward,  skirting 
the  wooded  shore  of  the  lake. 


CHAPTER   VI 

THE   YORKERS 

Though  the  presentation  of  claims, 
under  the  authority  of  the  New  York 
government,  to  the  land  which  Seth 
Beeman  occupied  by  virtue  of  a  title 
derived   from    the  Governor  of   New 
Hampshire,  had  for  some  time  been 
expected   and   resistance  fully  deter- 
mined upon,  Seth's  heart  was  as  hot 
with  anger  and  heavy  with  anxiety  as 
if  invasion  had  come  without  warning. 
Tenacious  of  his  rights,  he  yet  hated 
strife  and  contention.     Nor  could  he 
foresee   whether   he    must    lose    the 
home  he  had  wrought  with  toil  and 
privation   out   of   the   savage  wilder- 
ness,  or  whether,  after  a  sharp,  brief 
5 


66  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

contest,  he  would  be  left  in  peaceable 
possession  of  it,  or  whether  he  could 
then  hold  it  only  by  continued  resist- 
ance. 

Nathan  had  not  been  long  away 
when  he  shouldered  his  axe  and  has- 
tened toward  the  house.  When  it 
came  in  view,  between  the  tall  pillars 
of  tree  trunks  that  paled  the  verge  of 
the  clearing,  the  rough- wal'^d  dwell- 
ing had  never  looked  more  homelike 
nor  better  worth  keeping.  It  had 
overcome  the  strangeness  of  new  occu- 
pancy and  settled  to  its  place.  The 
logs  had  begun  to  gather  again  the 
moss  that  they  lost  when  they  ceased 
to  be  trees.  Wild  vines,  trained  to 
tamer  ways,  clambered  about  the  door- 
way and  deep-set  windows,  beneath 
which  beds  of  native  and  alien  posies, 
carefully  tended,  alike  flourished  in 
the  virgin  soil.  The  young  garden 
stuff  was  p-omising,  and  the  broader 


The  Yorkers  67 

expanse  of  fall-sown  wheat,  grown 
tall  enough  to  toss  in  the  wind,  made 
a  rippling  green  sea  of  the  clearing, 
with  islands  of  blackened  stumps  jut- 
ting here  and  there  above  the  surface. 
The  place  had  outgrown  its  uncouth 
newness  and  transient  camp-like  ap- 
pearance and  become  a  home  to  cling 
to  and  defend. 

"What  is  it,  SetV  ? "  asked  Ruth, 
coming  to  greet  him  at  the  door,  her 
smile  fading  as  she  saw  his  troubled 
face. 

"  The  Yorkers  have  come."  And 
then  he  explained  Nathan's  mission. 
"  Our  folks  '11  come  to  help  as  soon  as 
they  can,  but  the  Yorkers  '11  get  here 
first.  Look  a  there,"  and,  following 
his  eyes,  Ruth  saw  the  surveyor's 
party  approaching  the  border  of  the 
clearing,  just  as  the  Beemans  passed 
into  the  house. 

It  won't  come  to  that,  will  it?" 


<  < 


68  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

she  asked,  in  a  low,  awed  voice,  as 
Seth  took  down  his  g  m. 

"  I  hope  not,  but  I  want  the  gun 
out  of  their  reach  and  where  I  can  get 
it  handy.  There  ain't  a  bullet  or 
buckshot  in  the  house,"  he  declared, 
after  examining  the  empty  bullet 
pouch.  "  Give  me  some  beans. 
They're  good   enough   for  Yorkers." 

As  he  spoke  he  measured  a  charge 
of  powder  into  the  long  barrel,  rammed 
a  tow  wad  upon  it,  poured  in  a  half 
handful  of  the  beans  that  Ruth 
brought  him  in  a  gourd,  rammed  down 
another  wad,  put  priming  in  the  pan, 
clapped  down  the  hammer,  then 
mounted  half  way  up  the  ladder  that 
served  as  a  stair  laid  the  gun  on  the 
floor  of  the  upper  room,  and  was 
down  at  the  door  when  the  surveyor 
led  his  party  to  it.  He  saluted  the 
party  civilly,  and,  upon  demand,  gave 
his  name. 


The    Yorkers  69 

'*  Well,  Mr.  Beeman,"  began  the 
surveyor,  in  a  pompous  tone,  "  I  sent 
your  son  to  bring  you  to  me,  but  it 
seems  you  did  not  please  to  come." 

"  No,"  said  Seth  quietly;  "  it  does 
not  please  me  to  leave  my  affairs  at 
the  beck  and  call  of  every  stranger 
that  comes  this  way." 

"  Well,  sir,  I'd  have  you  under- 
stand that  I  am  Marmaduke  Felton, 
duly  appointed  and  licensed  as  a  sur- 
veyor of  His  Majesty's  lands  within 
his  province  of  New  York.  Further- 
more, be  it  known,  I  have  come 
here  in  the  regular  discharge  of  the 
duties  of  my  office,  to  fix  the  bounds 
of  land  purchased  by  my  client,  Mr. 
Erastus  Graves,"  bowing  to  the  per- 
son, "  of  the  original  grantees,  with 
patent  from  His  Excellency  the  Gov- 
ernor, who  alone  has  authority  to 
grant  these  lands.  I  find  you,  sir, 
established  on  these  same  lands  be- 


70  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

longing  to  my  client.  What  have  you 
to  say  for  yourself?  By  what  pre- 
tended right  have  you  made  occupa- 
tion of  lands  belonging  to  my  client? " 

"  I  have  to  say  for  myself,"  Seth 
answered,  in  a  steady  voice,  ' '  that  I 
bought  this  pitch  of  the  original  pro- 
prietors, and  I  have  their  deed,  duly 
signed  and  sealed.  They  got  their 
charter  of  His  Excellency  Benning 
Wentworth,  His  Majesty's  Governor 
of  the  Province  of  New  Hampshire." 

"  Your  title  is  not  worth  the  paper 
it's  written  on,"  scoffed  Mr.  Felton. 
"  Governor  Wentworth  has  no  more 
authority  to  grant  lands  than  I  have. 
Not  a  whit.  The  east  bounds  of  New 
York  are  fixed  by  royal  decree  at  the 
west  bank  of  Connecticut  River,  as 
everybody  knows,  and  Wentworth's 
grants  this  side  that  limit  are  null  and 
void.  No  doubt  you  have  acted  in 
good  faith,  but  now  there's  nothing 


The   Yorkers  7 1 

for  you  but  to  vacate  these  better- 
ments forthwith;  yes,  forthwith,  if 
you  will  take  the  advice  of  a  friend," 
and  the  little  man  regaled  himself  with 
a  pinch  of  snuff. 

"  I  shall  not  ^o  till  I  am  forced  to," 
Seth  answered  with  determination. 
"  When  it  comes  to  force  both  parties 
may  take  a  hand  in  the  game." 

Very  well,  very  well !  I  have 
given  you  friendly  advice ;  if  you  do 
not  choose  to  take  it  the  consequences 
be  on  your  own  head.  Come,  Graves ; 
come,  men,  let  us  go  about  our  pres- 
ent affairs;"  adding,  after  some  talk 
with  Graves,  "  We  shall  be  back  to 
spend  the  night  with  you,  Mr.  Bee- 
man.  You  cannot  refuse  Mr.  Graves 
the  shelter  of  his  own  house." 

Seth  flushed  with  anger,  but  an- 
swered steadily:  "  I  can't  help  it,  but 
you  will  not  be  welcome." 

The  men  who  had  been  idling  about, 


72  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

taking  little  interest  in  the  parley, 
now  followed  their  employers  back 
to  the  woods,  trampling  through  the 
young  wheat  in  their  course. 

"  I  wish  you  a  pleasant  night  on't," 
said  Seth  under  his  breath,  and  turned 
to  reassure  his  wife.  "  Don't  be  fright- 
ened, my  girl.  They  won't  get  us 
out  of  here.  Keep  a  stout  heart  and 
wait." 

With  a  quieter  heart  she  went  about 
her  household  affairs,  while  her  hus- 
band busied  himself  nearby,  weeding 
the  garden  and  giving  to  his  wife's 
posy  beds  the  awkward  care  of  unac- 
customed hands.  He  often  stopped 
his  employment  to  listen  and  intently 
scan  the  border  of  the  woods.  The 
shadows  of  the  trees  were  stretching 
far  across  the  clearing  when  an  owl 
hooted  solemnly  in  the  nearest  woods 
on  the  bank  of  the  creek,  and,  pres- 
ently, another  answered  farther  away. 


The   Torkers  73 

"  Do  hear  the  owls  hootin',  and  it's 
clear  as  a  bell,"  said  Ruth  at  the 
door,  looking  up  to  the  cloudless  sky. 
"  It  can't  be  it's  a-going  to  storm." 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  it  did,"  said 
Seth  with  a  mirthless  laugh.  ' '  Where 
was  that  nighest  hoot?' 

As  he  spoke  the  solemn  hollow 
n»'  tes  were  repeated,  and  some  crows 
began  to  wheel  and  caw  above  the 
spot,  marking  it  plainly  enough  to 
the  eye  and  ear,  and  he  set  forth  in 
the  direction  at  a  quick  pace. 

"  Why  don't  Nathan  come  home? " 
little  Martha  asked.  "I  hain't  seen 
him  all  day.  I  wish  he'd  come.  He'll 
get  ketched  in  the  storm." 

"  Oh,  don't  worry,  deary,"  said  her 
mother  after  she  had  watched  her 
husband  disappear  in  the  thickening 
shadow  of  the  woods.  "  We  might 
as  well  eat,  for  there's  no  telling  when 
father  '11  be  back."     They  were  not 


74  -^  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

half  through  the  meal  before  he  came, 
and,  as  he  took  his  seat  at  the  table, 
he  said  with  a  deep  sigh  of  relief: 
"  I'm  afeard  our  York  friends  won't 
enjoy  their  lodgin's  overmuch.  The 
owls  are  round  pretty  thick  to-night." 

"  Well,  I  guess  they've  ben  talking 
to  you,"  said  Ruth,  as  her  face  lighted 
with  a  comprehension  of  his  meaning. 

"Can  owls  talk?"  Martha  asked, 
agape  with  wonder. 

"  Well,  the  old  knowing  ones.  Owls 
are  turrible  knowing  creatur's,"  her 
father  said. 

The  twilight  possessing  the  woods 
had  scarcely  invaded  the  clearing  when 
the  surveyor  and  his  party  came  to 
the  house,  bringing  in  blankets,  pro- 
visions, guns,  tools,  and  instruments, 
till  the  one  small  room  was  crowded 
with  them  and  the  uninvited  guests. 
Felton  and  Graves  made  themselves 
offensively  and  officiously  at   home. 


The   Torkers  7  c 

The  cook  took  possession  of  the  fire, 
and  set  two  frying-pans  of  pork  sput- 
tering grease  upon  the  tidy  hearth,  to 
the  disgust  of  the  housewife,  who  sat 
with  her  husband  and  child  in  a  dark 
corner.  At  last  Felton  brought  forth 
a  bottle  of  spirits  from  his  leathern 
portmanteau  and  drank  to  Graves. 

"  Here's  to  your  speedy  installment 
in  your  rightful  possessions.  Now, 
help  yourself,  and  give  the  men  their 
tot." 

Graves  stood  filling  his  measure  of 
grog  in  the  tin  cup,  grinning  with 
satisfaction,  when  a  loud  knock  came 
on  the  door. 


CHAPTER   VII 

THE    "JUDGMENT   SEAT" 

Without  waiting  to  be  bidden,  a 
man  of  massive  mould  entered  the 
room.  He  strode  into  the  firelight, 
and,  wheeling  -^n  the  hearth,  faced  the 
company,  his  shadow  filling  half  the 
room. 

"  Good  evening,  gentlemen.  Good 
evening,  Mr.  Felton  and  Graves." 

The  latter  stood  with  the  untasted 
dram  half  way  to  his  gaping  mouth, 
the  other  was  as  motionless,  save  as 
his  face  expressed  successively  aston- 
ishment, anger,  and  exultation. 

"  Colonel  Ethan  Allen,"  he  said  at 
last,  emphasizing  the  title.  "  Most 
happy  to  receive  a  call  from  so  dis- 


The   * '  Judgment  Seat  **  77 

tinguished  a  person.  A  very  fortunate 
meeting."  Then  changing  his  tone 
of  mock  politeness  to  one  of  com- 
mand: "  You  are  my  prisoner.  Men, 
lay  hold  of  him  !  A  hundred  pounds 
are  offered  for  his  head  !  It  is  Ethan 
Allen  !     Lay  hold  of  him,  I  tell  you  ! ' ' 

There  was  a  reluctant  stir  among 
the  men.  One  advanced  toward  the 
corner  near  the  fireplace  where  the 
guns  were  set.  With  deliberate  ce- 
lerity Allen  drew  his  hands  from  the 
skirts  of  his  coat,  a  cocked  pistol  in 
each,  and,  with  one  of  them,  he  cov- 
ered the  man  skulking  towards  the 
guns. 

"  The  first  man  that  draws  a  pistol 
or  raises  a  gun  gets  a  bullet  through 
his  carcass,"  he  said  with  authority. 

At  Allen's  first  words  Seth  had 
mounted  the  ladder  and  s  quickly 
reappeared  with  his  gun.  x  >e  move- 
ment was  seen  in  the  dancing  shadows, 


78  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

and  he  was  covered  by  the  other  pis- 
tol, which  was  lowered  as  he  was  dis- 
tinguished to  be  helping  a  woman  and 
child  to  mount  to  the  chamber. 

"  Down  with  your  gun  over  there! 
Oh,  it  is  our  friend  Beeman !  All 
right!  "  Then  Allen  called  in  a  voice 
that  made  the  pewter  dishes  ring  on 
theJr  shelves: 

"  Come  in,  men!  ** 

The  door  swung  violently  open,  and 
Job  Carpenter,  with  all  the  arms-bear- 
ing men  of  the  wide  neighborhood,  to 
the  number  of  a  dozen,  came  march- 
ing in,  in  Indian  file,  with  rifle  or 
smooth-bore  at  a  trail.  In  the  rear 
was  Nathan,  unarmed,  but  eager  to 
see  all  that  sii.^uld  transpire. 

Felton  and  Graves  lost  their  bold 
demeanor,  yet  held  their  places,  while 
their  men  slunk  to  the  farther  side  of 
the  room  in  dumb  affright,  save  Jenk- 
ins, the  cook,  who,  dodging  this  side 


The  ^''Judgment  Seat''  79 

and  that  of  Allen's  burly  form,  hov- 
ered near  his  frying-pans  in  a  divided 
fear  for  his  own  safety  and  that  of  his 
pork. 

"  Keep  every  one  of  these  men 
under  close  guard,  my  boys,"  Allen 
commanded,  "  especially  these  two 
chief  offenders.  Now,  Mr.  Felton, 
perhaps  it  is  made  plain  to  you  that  I 
am  not  your  prisoner,  and  that  the 
gods  of  the  valleys  are  not  the  gods  of 
the  hills.  Behold  how  riches  take  to 
themselves  wings  and  fly  away,  even 
before  they  are  possessed.  In  witness 
whereof,  consider  the  hundred  pounds 
offered  by  your  Governor  for  an  honest 
man.  No  wonder  he  longs  for  the 
sight  of  one,  with  such  a  pack  of 
thieves  and  land  jobbers  as  he  has 
about  him." 

"An  honest  man?"  cried  Felton, 
trembling  with  rage.  "  A  ruffian  !  A 
rioter!    A  defier   of    law!"   and  he 


8o  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

poured  forth  a  torrent  of  opprobrious 
names,  and  a  full  measure  of  curses, 
till  out  of  breath. 

"  Go  on,  Master  Felton,  go  on," 
said  Allen,  smiling  benignly  upon 
him.  "  Ease  yourself.  Unless  it  be 
prayer,  which  you  rarely  employ,  I 
doubt,  there  is  nothing  like  good 
round  cursing  to  relieve  an  overbur- 
dened heart.  Upon  occasion  I  avail 
myself  of  the  remedy.  Pray  go  on,  or 
give  your  friend  a  chance.  Mr.  Graves, 
you  have  the  floor,"  but  the  man  ad- 
dressed only  glowered  savagely. 

"  Well,  if  you  have  offered  all  your 
burnt  offerings  of  brimstone,  let  the 
men  have  their  supper  and  make 
themselves  strong  for  their  journey. 
Dish  up  the  pork,  cook,  that  you  have 
been  bumping  my  legs  to  get  at,  and 
bring  out  your  bread  bag.  Stir  your- 
selves. We  have  weighty  business 
pending." 


The  ''  Judgment  Seat"  8i 

The  men  ate  their  meat  and  bread 
with  the  appetite  of  those  whom  no 
emotion  can  cheat  of  a  meal,  but  Fel- 
ton  and  Graves  would  have  none  of  it. 
The  Green  Mountain  Boys  sat  apart, 
chatting  in  low  tones,  till  the  smokerl 
were  filling  their  pipes  after  their 
meal,  when  Allen  rapped  the  table 
with  the  butt  of  his  pistol,  and  his 
clear,  deep  voice  broke  the  silence 
that  ensued. 

"Friends  of  the  Grants,  you  all 
know  we  have  come  here  to  erect  the 
'  Judgment  seat  '  this  night,  and  mete 
out  such  punishment  as  doth  unto 
justice  appertain.  Yea,  verily,  for 
wrongs  done  or  sought  to  be  done 
upon  the  people  of  these  New  Hamp- 
shire Grants.  We  will  at  once  elect  a 
judge.  To  save  time,  I  will  nominate 
Ethan  Allen  as  a  proper  person  for 
that  office.  You  that  would  elect  him 
say  'Aye.*  " 

6 


82  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

There  was  a  unanimous  affirmative 
response,  even  Nathan,  proud  of  the 
opportunity  of  giving  his  first  vote, 
made  his  piping  treble  heard  among 
the  deep  voices  of  the  men. 

"  Contrary  minded,  make  the  usual 
sign." 

There  was  only  a  sullen  *  *  No  ' '  from 
Felton. 

"  You  are  not  entitled  to  vote  in  this 
meeting,  sir.  I  have  a  clear  majority 
and  will  take  my  seat."  So  saying, 
Allen  seated  himself  upon  the  table. 

"The  plain  facts  of  the  case  are 
these:  This  Mr.  Felton  and  this 
Graves,  also,  were  taken  by  me,  and 
certain  other  good  men,  about  one 
month  ago,  in  the  act  of  surveying, 
under  the  pretended  authority  of  the 
tyrannical  New  York  government, 
lands  already  granted  by  His  Excel- 
lency Benning  Wentworth,  His  Maj- 
esty's   duly   appointed   Governor  of 


The   ''  Judgment  Seat''  83 

New  Hampshire.  The  said  persons 
were  ordered  to  desist  from  such  un- 
lawful business  and  to  depart  from 
these  Grants,  and  were  duly  warned 
not  to  return  for  a  like  purpose  under 
pain  of  being  'Viewed.'  Further- 
more, they  were  suffered  to  depart 
without  bodily  harm.  Here  the  sur- 
veyor comes  again,  like  a  bad  penny 
as  he  is,  bearing  the  King's  mark,  but 
a  base  counterfeit  none  the  less.  And 
this  Graves  pretends  to  own  this  pitch 
by  right  of  purchase  under  York  gov- 
ernment. Other  than  them  I  do  not 
recognize  any  among  this  crew  who 
have  been  '  Warned.'  Now,  friend 
Beeman,  tell  us  your  story." 

Seth  told  what  had  passed  between 
him  and  the  surveyor, and  then  Nathan 
was  called  to  relate  his  meeting  the 
party  in  the  woods,  which  he  did  in  a 
straightforward  manner,  except  for  his 
boyish  bashfulness. 


84  ^  Hero  of  T'tconderoga 

"  Now,  you  have  it  all.  Felton  and 
Graves  are  here,  as  you  see,  in  prose- 
cution of  their  unlawful  business,  as 
the  testimony  of  this  boy  and  his 
father  shows.  In  further  proof  where- 
of, see  the  surveyor*s  instruments 
here  in  view.  What  say  you,  men  of 
the  Grants,  are  they  guilty  or  not 
guilty?" 

**  Guilty,"  said  the  various  voices. 

"  What  shall  be  their  punishment? 
That  they  be  chastised  with  the  twigs 
of  the  wilderness? " 

There  was  general  affirmative  re- 
sponse, some  answering  loudly,  others 
faintly  and  hesitatingly.  Then  Job 
Carpenter  stepped  forward,  and,  mak- 
ing a  military  salute,  said : 

"  I  don't  go  agin  these  men  a  git- 
tin*  what  they  desarve,  but  I  don't 
want  to  have  them  skinned.  Their 
skins  hain't  worth  a-hevin'  only  for 
their  selves,  and  I  hate  to  see  white 


The   *'  Judgment  Seat"  85 

men  whipped  like  dogs.  If  they  was 
Injins  I  wouldn't  say  agin  it.  But, 
bein'  they  hain't,  I  move  they  hev  jest 
nine  cuts  o'  the  Blue  Beech  apiece." 

"Forty,  save  one,"  was  the  cus- 
tomary award  in  such  cases,  and  there 
were  a  few  dissenting  voices,  but  the 
milder  punishment  was  finally  agreed 
upon. 

If  the  two  men  under  sentence  felt 
any  gratitude  for  the  mitigation  of 
the  severity,  they  expressed  none. 
Graves  maintained  a  sullen  silence, 
though  his  vengeful  scowl  expressed 
as  much  hatred  of  the  prosecutors  of 
the  informal  trial  as  did  the  storm 
of  oaths  and  abuse  that  Felton  let 
forth  upon  them  in  intermittent  gusts. 

So  the  night  passed,  with  snatches 
of  sleep  for  some,  with  none  for  others, 
while  the  prisoners  were  kept  under 
constant  guard.  With  daylight  came 
the  summary  infliction  of  the  punish- 


86  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

merit  awarded.  It  was  a  scene  so 
cruel  that  Ruth  and  Martha  could  not 
bear  to  hear,  much  less  to  witness  it, 
and  Nathan,  when  an  old  man,  said 
it  was  a  horrible  memory.  Yet,  severe 
as  was  the  chastisement  inflicted  by 
the  Green  Mountain  Boys  upon  their 
persecutors,  it  was  no  more  cruel  than 
the  legal  punishment  of  many  light  of- 
fences in  those  days,  when  the  whip- 
ping post  was  one  of  the  f  rst  adorn- 
ments of  every  little  haiiilet.  In 
conclusion,  Ethan  Allen  gave  to  Fel- 
ton  and  Graves  a  "  Certificate,"  writ- 
ten by  himself,  to  the  effect: 

"  This  is  to  Certify  that  the  Bearer 
has  this  day  rec'd  his  Just  Dues  and 
is  permitted  to  pass  beyond  the  New 
Hampshire  Grants.  He  Behaving  as 
Becometh.  In  witness  whereof,  see 
the  Beech  Seal  upon  his  back  and  our 
Hands  set  Hereunto.  Signed,  Ethan 
Allen  and  others." 


The  "  Judgment  Seat''  87 

Felton  cast  his  upon  the  ground  and 
stamped  upon  it,  but  Graves  folded 
and  put  his  carefully  in  his  pocket, 
glowering  in  silence  upon  his  enemies. 
Then  Ethan  Allen  broke  the  survey- 
or's compass  with  his  own  hands  and 
tossed  the  fragments  away. 

"  Now,"  said  he,  in  an  awful  voice, 
"  depart,  and  woe  be  unto  you,  Mar- 
maduke  Felton  and  Erastus  Graves, 
if  you  ever  set  foot  in  the  land  of  the 
Green  Mountain  Boys.  You  other 
men,  if  you  come  in  peace  and  on 
honest  business,  you  shall  not  have  a 
hair  of  your  heads  hurt.  But  if  you 
ever  venture  to  come  on  such  an  ini- 
quitous errand  as  now  brought  you, 
by  the  Great  Jehovah,  you  s.'  all  re- 
pent in  sackcloth  and  ashes!  For- 
ward, march !  " 

At  the  command,  the  surveyor  and 
his  men  filed  off,  and  the  last  of  the 
sullen  and  chap-fallen  crew  soon  dis- 


88  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

appeared  among  the  trees.  They 
were  accompanied  some  distance  by 
the  Green  Mountain  Boys,  when  their 
beloved  chieftain  rode  away  to  redress 
wrongs  of  settlers  in  other  parts. 

By  noon  the  clearing  was  occupied 
by  none  but  its  usual  tenants,  and, 
henceforth,  though  they  suffered  fre- 
quent apprehension  of  further  trouble, 
they  were  not  molested  by  any  New 
York  claimants. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

A   NOVEL   BEAR   TRAP 

"  You  don't  know  of  anybody  here- 
abouts that  wants  to  hire  a  good  hand, 
I  s'pose ?' '  asked  a  stranger  one  August 
afternoon,  as,  without  unslinging  his 
pack,  he  set  his  gun  against  the  log 
wall  beside  the  door,  and  leaned  upon 
his  axe  at  the  threshold. 

By  degrees  Seth  Beeman  had  en- 
larged his  clearing  so  far  that  he 
already  needed  stronger  hands  than 
Nathan's  to  help  him  in  the  care  of 
the  land  already  in  tilth  and  in  the 
further  extension  of  his  betterments, 
but  he  scanned  the  man  closely  before 
he  answered.  Though  unprepossess- 
ing, low-browed,  and  surly  looking, 


9©  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

he  was  evidently  a  stout  fellow,  and 
accustomed  to  work.  At  length  a 
reply  was  made  by  asking  such  ques- 
tions as  were  a  matter  of  course  in 
those  days,  and  are  not  yet  quite 
obsolete  in  Yankeeland. 

The  stranger  readily  said  his  name 
was  Silas  Toombs,  that  he  was  from 
Jersey  way,  and  wished,  when  he  had 
earned  enough,  to  take  up  a  right  of 
land  hereabouts,  in  a  region  he  had 
often  heard  extolled  by  his  father, 
who  had  served  here  in  Captain  Ber- 
gen's company  of  Rogers's  Rangers. 
Seth  had  previously  ascertained  that 
no  grown-up  son  of  any  of  his  neigh- 
bors could  be  spared  to  help  him,  so 
he  finally  hired  this  man,  who  proved 
to  be  efficient  and  faithful,  although 
not  a  genial  companion,  such  as  an 
old-time  farmer  wished  to  find  in  his 
hired  help.  Ruth  treated  him  with 
the  kindness  so  natural  to  her,  though 


A  Novel  Bea  •  Trap  91 

she  could  scarcely  conceal  her  aver- 
sion. This,  if  he  understood,  he  did 
not  seem  to  notice  any  more  than  he 
did  the  undisguised  dislike  of  Nathan. 

The  remainder  of  the  summer  and 
half  of  the  fall  passed  uneventfully, 
till  one  day,  when  Ruth  had  been 
called  to  the  bedside  of  Mrs.  Newton, 
who  was  ill  of  the  fever  so  prevalent 
in  new  clearings,  Nathan  and  his  sister 
were  left  in  charge  of  the  house,  while 
their  father  and  hired  man  worked  in 
a  distant  field. 

The  children  spent  half  the  pleasant 
forenoon  in  alternate  rounds  of  house- 
work and  out-door  play,  now  sweep- 
ing the  floor  with  hemlock  brooms, 
now  running  out  into  the  hazy  October 
sunshine  to  play  "Indians"  with 
Nathan's  bow  and  arrows  and  Mar- 
tha's rag  doll.  This  was  stolen  and 
carried  into  captivity,  from  which  it 
was  rescued  by  its  heroic  little  mother. 

r 


92  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

Then  they  threw  off  their  assumed 
characters  and  ran  into  the  house  to 
replenish  the  smouldering  fire,  and 
to  find  that  the  sunshine,  falling  upon 
the  floor  through  the  window,  was 
creeping  towards  the  "noon  mark," 
making  it  time  to  begin  dinner. 

Nathan  raised  the  heavy  trap-door 
to  the  cellar  and  descended  the  ladder, 
with  butcher  knife  and  pewter  plate, 
to  get  the  pork,  but  had  barely  got 
the  cover  off  the  barrel  when  he  was 
recalled  to  the  upper  world  by  a  loud 
cry  from  his  sister: 

"Nathan,  Nathan,  come  here 
quick!  " 

He  scrambled  up  the  ladder  and 
ran  to  her,  where,  just  outside  the 
door,  she  was  staring  intently  toward 
the  creek. 

*  *  Who  be  them  ? '  *  she  asked  anx- 
iously, as  she  pointed  at  two  figures 
just   disclosed   above   the   rushes,  as 


A  Novel  Bear   Trap  93 

they   moved   swiftly   up    the   narrow 
channel  in  an  unseen  craft. 

"I  guess  they're  Injins,"  said 
Nathan,  after  a  moment's  scrutiny, 
"  and  I  guess  they're  a-trappin'  mush- 
rat.     Let's  run  over  to  the  bank  and 


see." 


So  they  ran  to  the  crown  of  the  low 
bank,    where  they  could  command  a 
good  view  of  the  rushy  level  of  the 
marsh,  and  the  narrow  belt  of  clear 
water  that  wound  through  it,  reflect- 
ing the  hazy  blue  of  the  sky,  the  tops 
of  the  scarlet  water  maples,  the  bronze 
and  yellow  weeds,  and,  here  and  there, 
the  rough  dome  of  a  newly  built  musk- 
rat  house.     At  each  of  these  the  two 
men,  now  revealed   in  a  birch  canoe 
halted    for   a   little   space,  and  then,' 
tymg  a   knot  in  the  nearest  tuft  of 
sedge,  passed  on  to  the  next.     There 
was  no  mistaking  the  coppery  hue  of 
the   faces,    the    straight    black    hair, 


94  -^  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

though  men  of  another  race  might 
wear  the  dirty,  white  blanket  coats, 
and  as  skilfully  manage  the  light 
craft. 

Yes,  they  be  Injins, ' '  said  Nathan, 
"  and  I  wish  they'd  let  my  mushrat 
alone.  But  I  s'pose  there's  enough 
for  them  and  me." 

Presently  the  Indians  passed  quite 
near  them,  and  one,  speaking  so  softly 
that  the  children  thought  his  voice 
could  never  have  sounded  the  terrible 
war-whoop,  accosted  them: 

"  How  do?    You  Beenum  boy?" 

"Yes,"  Nathan  answered;  and 
then,  obeying  the  Yankee  instinct  of 
inquiry,  asked :  "  Be  you  gettin'  many 
mushrat? " 

"  No  ketch  um  plenty,"  the  Indian 
replied.  "  01'  Capenteese  ketch  um 
mos'  all  moosquas,"  and  Nathan  un- 
derstood that  he  attributed  the  scarcity 
of  muskrats  to  Job,  whose  fame  as  a 


A  Novel  Bear  Trap  95 

hunter  and  trapper  was  known  to 
every  Waubanakee  who  visited  this 
part  of  the  lake. 

"  Me  come  back  pooty  soon,"  the 
Indian  said,  pointing  up  the  creek 
with  his  paddle.  "  Den  go  house,  see 
um  Beenum.  Buy  um  some  pig  eese.* 
S'pose  he  sell  um  lee'l  bit?  '* 

Nathan  nodded  a  doubtful  assent, 
and  then,  reminded  of  dinner-getting 
by  the  mention  of  pork,  caught  Mar- 
tha's hand  and  hurried  homeward, 
while  the  Indians  resumed  their  way 
upstream. 

When  the  children  entered  the  open 
door,  they  were  for  a  moment  dumb 
with  amazement  at  the  confusion  that 
had  in  so  short  a  time  usurped  the 
tidiness  whereof  they  had  left  the 
room  possessed.  The  coverlets  and 
blankets  of  one  bed  were  dragged  from 
their  place,  two  or  three  chairs  were 

•  Pork. 


96  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

overturned,  and  the  meal  barrel  was 
upset  and  half  its  contents  strewn 
across  the  floor. 

"What  in  tunket,"  cried  Nathan, 
when  speech  came  to  his  gaping 
mouth.  "  Has  that  old  sow  got  outen 
the  pen?  "  Then  he  saw  in  the  scat- 
tered meal  some  broad  tracks  that  a 
former  adventure  had  made  him  fa- 
miliar with,  and  he  heard  a  sound  of 
something  moving  about  in  the  cellar. 

"  It's  a  bear,"  he  cried,  "  and  he's 
down  cellar." 

As  quick  as  the  thought  and  words, 
he  sprang  to  the  open  hatch,  and 
heaved  it  upright  on  the  hinges,  to 
close  it.  But  just  as  it  hung  in  mid- 
way poise,  the  bear,  alarmed  by 
the  noise  overhead,  gave  a  startled 
"  whoof,"  and  came  scrambling  up 
the  ladder.  His  tawny  muzzle  was 
above  the  floor,  when  Nathan,  with 
desperate  strength,  slammed  down  the 


A  Novel  Bear    Trap  97 

hatch,  and  its  edge  caught  the  bear 
fairly  on  the  neck,  pressing  his  throat 
against  the  edge  of  the  hatchway. 
The  trap  door  had  scarcely  fallen 
when  the  quick-witted  boy  mounted 
it  and  called  to  his  frightened  sister 
to  mount  beside  him,  and  with  their 
united  weight,  slight  as  it  was,  they 
kept  him  from  forcing  his  way  up- 
ward, till  in  his  frantic  struggles  he 
dislodged  the  ladder  and  hung  by  the 
neck  helpless,  without  foothold. 

The  children  held  bravely  to  their 
post,  hand  in  hand,  while  to  the  gasp- 
ing moans  of  the  angry  brute  suc- 
ceeded cries  of  anger,  that  were  in 
turn  succeeded  by  silence  and  loss  of 
all  visible  motion  but  such  as  was 
imparted  to  the  head  by  the  huge 
body  still  slowly  vibrating  from  the 
final  struggle.  When  this  had  quite 
ceased  they  ventured  off  the  trap  door, 
and,  pale  and  panting,  they  stood 
7 


98  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

before  the  ghastly  head  as  frightful 
now  in  death,  with  grinning,  foam- 
flecked  jaws,  protruding  tongue,  and 
staring,  bloodshot  eyes,  as  it  had  been 
in  living  rage.  Nathan  caught  his  sister 
in  his  arms  and  hugged  her,  shouting: 

"  We've  killed  him.  We've  killed 
a  bear,"  while  she,  in  the  same  breath, 
laughed  and  cried,  till  they  both  be- 
thought themselves  of  the  dinner-get- 
ting not  yet  begun. 

"  I  can't  get  down  cellar,"  said 
Nathan,  "  for  I  dasn't  open  that  door. 
What  be  we  goin'  to  do?  " 

A  grunt  of  surprise  caught  his  atten- 
tion, and,  looking  up,  he  saw  the  two 
Indians  at  the  door,  staring  with 
puzzled  faces  on  the  strange  scene. 
Then  one,  with  a  hatchet  half  uplifted, 
cautiously  approached  the  grim  head, 
which,  after  an  instant's  scrutiny,  he 
touched  with  his  hatchet  and  then 
with  his  finger. 


A  Novel  Bear   Trap  99 


4 1 


He  dead.  You  boy  do  dat?" 
And  Nathan  told  him  all  the  adven- 
ture. The  Indian  gave  the  boy  an 
approving  pat  on  the  head  that  made 
Nathan's  scalp  shiver. 

"  You  big  Nad-yal-we-no.  Too 
much  good  for  be  Pastoniac.  You 
CO  Tie  'long  me  to  Yam-as-ka,  I  make 
you  Waubanakee.  Den  be  good  for 
sometings.  Nawaa,"  he  said  to  his 
companion,  and  the  other  coming  in, 
the  two  reached  down  and  laid  hold 
of  the  bear's  forelegs,  and  when,  by 
their  instructions,  Nathan  lifted  the 
door,  they  dragged  the  limp,  shaggy 
carcass  out  upon  the  floor. 

When  the  full  proportions  of  the 
huge  brute  were  revealed,  the  boy's 
rejoicings  broke  forth  anew,  just  as 
his  father  and  the  hired  man  came 
hurrying  in,  when  he  received  fresh 
praise  for  his  deed.  The  dinner  was 
bounteous,  if  late,   and  the  Indians, 


100  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

Toksoose  and  Tahmont,  had  their  full 
share  of  it,  with  a  big  chunk  of  pork 
and  as  much  bear's  meat  as  they  cared 
to  take,  which  was  small,  since  they 
liked  better  the  daintier  meat  of  the 
musquash,  wherewith  their  trapping 
afforded  them  an  ample  supply. 

When  toward  nightfall  the  mother 
returned,  she  was  told  the  story  by 
the  victors,  and  with  equal  delight 
was  it  rehearsed  when  Job  happened 
to  come,  and  the  unstinted  praise  of 
the  old  hunter  was  sweetest  of  all. 
Many  a  day  was  the  tale  rehearsed  for 
the  benefit  of  new  listeners.  Even 
when  Nathan  was  an  old  man,  and 
looked  back  on  the  many  adventures 
of  his  life,  not  one  stood  forth  so 
clearly  in  the  haze  of  the  past  as  this 
adventure  with  the  bear,  wherein  he 
had  borne  the  chief  part. 


CHAPTER  IX 

A  FRONTIER  TRAGEDY 

One  autumn  day  after  the  leaves 
had  faded  and  fallen,  Nathan  was  busy 
husking  corn,  with  less  thought  upon 
his  task  and  the  growing  pile  of  yel- 
low ears  than  of  a  promised  partridge 
hunt  on  the  morrow  with  his  good 
friend  Job.  His  father  was  chopping 
in  a  new  clearing.  Silas  had  been 
nt  with  the  oxen  to  take  some  loes 
Lemon  Fair  Mill.  His  mother 
grew  uneasy  at  her  spinning,  for  Seth 
did  not  come  home  to  dinner,  nor  yet 
when  the  afternoon  was  half  spent. 
After  many  times  anxiously  looking 
and  listening  in  the  direction  of  the 
clearing,  and  as  often  saying  to  her- 


102  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

self,  "What  does  keep  father  so?'* 
she  called  to  Nathan. 

"  I  guess  you'd  better  go  and  see 
what  henders  father  so.  I  can't  think 
what  it  is.    I  hope  it  hain't  anything. 

**  Perhaps  he's  gone  over  to  Calen- 
dars or  some  o'  the  neighbors,"  said 
Nathan.  "  I  hain't  heard  a  tree  fall 
for  ever  so  long  nor  his  axe  a  goin*  for 
a  long  time." 

*'  Mebby  he's  cut  his  foot  or  some- 
thing," said  Martha,  beginning  to  cry. 

"  I  can't  hear  nothin'  of  him  for  all 
the  air's  so  holler  and  everything 
sounds  so  plain,"  said  Ruth,  listening 
again.  "  You'd  better  go  and  see 
,  what  henders  him.  Mebby  he  can't 
git  home." 

As  the  boy  anxiously  hastened  to 
the  new  clearing,  the  intense  stillness 
of  the  woods  filled  him  with  undefined 
dread.  His  ears  ached  for  some 
sound,  the  tapping  of  a  woodpecker. 


A  Frontier  Tragedy  103 

the  cry  of  a  jay,  but  most  of  all,  for  the 
sound  of  axe  strokes  or  his  father's 
voice.  Silence  pervaded  the  clearing 
also. 

There,  on  a  stump,  was  his  father's 
blue  frock,  one  bit  of  color  in  the 
sombre  scene.  And  yes,  there  was 
some  slight  flitting  movement  near 
the  last  tree  that  had  been  felled  and 
lay  untrimmed  just  as  it  had  fallen, 
but  it  was  only  a  bevy  of  chickadees 
peering  curiously  at  something  on  the 
ground  beneath  them,  yet  voiceless 
as  if  their  perennial  cheerfulness  was 
dumb  in  the  pervading  silence.  So 
sick  with  dread  he  could  scarcely 
move,  the  boy  forced  himself  to  ap- 
proach the  spot,  and  look  upon  that 
which  he  felt  was  awaiting  him,  his 
father  lying  dead  beneath  the  huge, 
prone  tree,  that  had  crushed  him  in 
its  fall. 

The  glowing  sunset  sky  and  the 


104  -^  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

glistening  waters  of  the  lake  grew 
black,  the  earth  reeled.  With  a  pite- 
ous groan  of  "  Father!  father!"  the 
boy  sank  down  as  lifeless,  for  a  space, 
as  the  beloved  form  that  lay  beside 
him  in  eternal  sleep. 

He  awoke  as  from  a  terrible  dream 
to  the  miserable  realization  that  it  was 
not  a  dream.  Then  walking,  as  still 
in  a  dream,  not  noting  how  he  went 
nor  by  any  familiar  object  marking  his 
way,  he  bore  home  the  woeful  tidings. 

Simple  as  were  the  funeral  rites  in 
the  primitive  communities,  they  were 
not  lacking  in  the  impressiveness  of 
heartfelt  sorrow  nor  in  the  homely 
expressions  of  sympathy  for  the  be- 
reaved and  respect  for  the  dead.  So 
Seth  Beeman's  neighbors  reverently 
laid  him  to  rest  in  the  soil  his  own 
hand  had  uncovered  to  the  sunlight. 
They  set  at  his  head  a  rough  slate 
stone,  whose  rude  lettering  could  be 


A  Frontier   Tragedy  105 

read  half  a  century  later,  tc'ling  his 
name  and  age,  and  the  manner  of  his 
death. 

Ruth  was  left  in  a  sorry  plight,  so 
suddenly  bereft  of  the  strong  arm  she 
had   leaned   upon,  without  a  thought 
that  it  could  ever  be  taken  from  her. 
Now  she  had  only  her  son,  a  sturdy 
lad,  indeed,  but  of  an  age  to  be  cared 
for   rather   than    to   care    for   others. 
Toombs  had  proved  better  than   he 
looked,    kind    enough,    and    a    good 
worker,  and   familiar  with  the  needs 
of  the  farm.     When  his  time  was  out 
she  had  no  means  to  pay  his  wages 
nor  could  she  well  g: '.  along  without 
him.     So  he  staid  on,  taking  a  mort- 
gage, at  length,  on  the  premises  in  lieu 
of   money,  and  becoming   more   and 
more  important  in  Ruth's  estimation, 
though  regarded  with  increasing  dis- 
like  and   jealousy  by  her    son,   who 
found  himself  less  and  less  considered. 


lo6  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

Months  passed,  dulling  sorrow  and 
the  sense  of  loss,  and  bringing  many 
a  bitter  change.  The  bitterness  of 
Nathan's  life  was  made  almost  un- 
bearable presently.  His  mother,  of 
a  weak  and  clinging  nature,  inevitably 
drifted  to  a  fate  a  more  self-reliant 
woman  would  have  avoided.  Worried 
with  uncomprehended  business,  and 
assured  by  Toombs  that  this  was  the 
only  way  to  retain  a  home  for  herself 
and  children,  yet  unmoved  by  the 
kindly  advice  of  Seth's  honest  friends 
and  neighbors,  as  well  as  the  anger 
and  entreaties  of  her  son,  she  went 
with  Toombs  over  to  the  Fort,  where 
they  were  married  by  the  chaplain 
stationed  there. 

With  such  a  man  in  the  place  of  his 
wise  and  affectionate  father,  Nathan's 
life  was  filled  with  misery,  nor  could 
he  ever  comprehend  his  mother's 
course.      Though     bestowing     upon 


A  Frontier  Tragedy  107 

Martha  and   his    mother    indifferent 
notice  or  none  at  all,  towards  the  boy 
the  stepfather  exercised  his  1  jcently 
acquired  authority  with  severity,  giv- 
ing him  the  hardest  and  most  unpleas- 
ant work  to  do,  and  treating  him  al- 
ways with  distrust,  often  with  cruelty. 
"  I  hate  him,"  he  told  Ruth.  "He's 
sassed  me  every  day  since  I  come  here, 
and  I've  got  a  bigger  job  'an  that  to 
settle,  one  that   I'd  ha'  settled  with 
his  father,  if  he  hadn't  cheated  me  by 
gettin'  killed." 

"Oh,  what  do  you  mean?"  Ruth 
gasped.  "  I  thought  you  and  Seth 
was  always  good  friends. ' ' 

"  Friends!  "  he  growled,  contempt- 
uously ; "  I  hated  the  ground  he  walked 
on.  Look  here,  "and  Silas  pulled  out 
his  leather  pocketbook  and  took  from 
it  a  soiled  paper  which  he  held  before 
her  eyes. 

She  read  the  bold,  clear  signature 


lo8  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

of  Ethan  Allen,  and,  with  a  sickening 
thrill,  that  of  Seth  Beeman  under  it. 

"Yes,  Ethan  Allen  and  Seth  Bee- 
man  and  his  neighbors  whipped  a  man 
for  claimin*  his  own,  and  your  boy 
went  and  gethered  'em  in.  Mebby 
you  re'collect  it." 

"I  couldn't  help  it,"  she  gasped. 
"  I  didn't  see  it.  I  run  and  hid  and 
stopped  my  ears. 

"Well,  'Rastus  Graves  'ould  ha' 
settled  his  debts  if  he'd  ha'  lived.  But 
he  died  afore  his  back  got  healed  over, 
and  afore  he  died  he  turned  the  job 
over  to  his  brother,  that's  me,  Silas 
Tombs,  or  Graves — they're  the  same 
in  the  end." 

Ruth  stared  at  him  in  dumb  amaze- 
ment and  horror,  while  he  proceeded, 
pouring  forth  his  long  concealed  wrath. 

"Well,  I've  got  Seth  Beeman's 
wife,  and,  what's  wuth  more,  his  farm, 
an'   his  childem    right    'nunder    my 


A  Frontier  Tragedy  109 

thumb.  I  hope  he  knows  on't.  And 
now,  ma'am,"  lowering  his  voice  from 
its  passionate  exultation,  "  you  don  t 
want  to  breathe  a  word  o'  this  to  your 
nice  neighbors  or  to  your  young  'uns. 
It  wouldn't  do  no  good  and  it  might  be 
unpleasant  all  round.  You  don't  want 
folks  to  know  what  a  fool  you  be. 

After  this  disclosure,  Ruth  lived,  in 
weariness  and  vain  regret,  a  life  that 
seemed  quite  hopeless  but  for  looking 
forward  to  the  time  when  her  son 
could  assert  his  rights  and  be  her 
champion.  Her  nature  was  one  of 
those  that  still  bend,  without  being 
broken,  by  whatever  weight  is  laid  on 
them. 


CHAPTER  X 

REBELLION 

One  day  Nathan  was  gathering  ashes 
from  the  heaps  where  the  log  piles 
had  been  burned  and  storing  them  in 
a  rude  shed.  Close  by  this  stood  the 
empty  leach-tubs  awaiting  filling  and 
the  busy  days  and  nights  when  the 
potash-making  should  begin.  It  was 
hard,  unpleasant  work,  irritating  to 
skin,  eyes,  and  temper.  It  was  natural 
a  boy  should  linger  a  little  as  Nathan 
did,  when  he  emptied  a  basket,  and 
quickly  retreated  with  held  breath  out 
of  the  dusty  cloud.  He  looked  long- 
ingly on  the  shining  channel  of  the 
creek,  and  wished  he  might  follow  it 
to  the  lake  and  fish  in  the  cool  shad- 


Rebellion  1 1 1 

ows  of  the  shore.  He  wished  that 
Job  would  chance  to  come  through 
the  woods,  but  Job  lately  rarely  came 
near  them,  for  he  was  vexed  with 
Ruth  for  mating  with  this  stranger, 
and  the  new  master  gave  no  welcome 
to  any  of  the  friends  of  the  old  mas- 
ter. His  hands  were  busy  as  his 
thoughts,  when  he  was  startled  by 
his  stepfather's  voice  close  behind 
him. 

"  You  lazy  whelp,  what  you  put- 
terin*  'bout  ?  You  spend  half  your 
time  a  gawpin.  You  git  them  ashes 
housed  afore  noon  or  I'll  give  ye  a 
skinnin',  and  I'll  settle  an  old  score 
at  the  same  time,"  and  Toombs 
switched  a  blue  beech  rod  he  held  in 
his  big  hand.  After  seeing  the  boy 
hurry  nervously  to  this  impossible 
task,  he  went  back  to  his  chopping. 

The  shadows  crept  steadily  toward 
the  north  till  they  marked  noontime, 


112  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

and  still  one  gray  ash  heap  confronted 
Nathan.  As  he  stood  with  a  full  bas- 
ket of  ashes  poised  on  the  edge  of  the 
ash  bin,  Toombs  appeared,  with  his 
axe  on  his  shoulder  and  the  beech  in 
his  hand.  "  You  know  what  I  told 
you,  and  Silas  Toombs  doesn't  go 
back  on  his  words;  no,  sir." 

"  I  couldn't  do  it.  I  tried,  but  I 
couldn't  get  'em  all  done!  " 

Silas  strode  toward  him  in  a  fury, 
when  Nathan  hurled  the  basket  of 
ashes  full  at  his  head,  and  dodging 
behind  the  shed  was  in  rapid  flight 
toward  the  woods,  when  his  assailant 
emerged  from  the  choking,  blinding 
cloud,  sputtering  out  mingled  oaths 
and  ashes.  In  a  moment  he  caught 
the  line  of  flight  and  followed  in  swift 
pursuit.  The  boy's  nimble  feet  wid- 
ened the  distance  between  them,  but 
he  was  at  the  start  almost  exhausted 
with  his  severe  work,  so  that  when  he 


Rebellion  1 1 3 

reached  the  woods  his  only  hope  lay 
in  hiding. 

Silas,  entering  the  woods,  could 
neither  see  nor  hear  his  intended  vic- 
tim. Listening  between  spasms  o£ 
rushing  and  raging,  he  heard  a  slight 
rustling  among  the  branches  of  a  great 
hemlock  that  reared  its  huge,  russet- 
gray  trunk  close  beside  him.  Look- 
ing up,  he  saw  a  pair  of  dusty  legs 
dangling  twenty  feet  above  him. 

**  Come  down,  you  little  devil,  or 
1*11  shoot  you." 

"  I  won't,"  said  Nathan,  half  sur- 
prised at  his  own  daring;  "  you  can't 
shoot  with  an  axe." 

"I'm  glad  you  made  me  think  on't. 
Then  come  down  or  I'll  chop  you 
down ! ' '  As  an  earnest  of  his  threat 
he  drove  his  axe  to  the  eye  into  the 
boll  of  the  tree. 

The  boy  only  climbed  the  higher, 
and    disappeared    among    the    dark 


114  ^  Her9  of  Ticonderoga 

foliage  and  thick,  quivering  rays  of 
branches.  Parleying  no  more,  Silas 
began  chopping  so  vigorously  that 
the  great  flakes  of  chips  flew  abroad 
upon  the  forest  floor  in  a  continuous 
shower,  and  soon  paved  it  all  about 
him  with  white  olotches.  When  the 
trunk  was  cut  to  the  middle,  he 
shouted  up  another  summons  to  sur- 
render, but  got  no  answer.  Then  his 
quick,  strong  strokes  began  to  fall  on 
the  other  side,  steadily  biting  their 
way  toward  the  centre,  till  the  huge, 
ancient  pillar  of  living  wood  began  to 
tremble  on  its  sapped  foundation. 
Standing  away  from  it,  he  peered  up 
among  the  whorls  of  gray  branches 
and  broad  shelves  of  leaves,  but  they 
disclosed  nothing. 

"  Hello!  Come  down!  Don't  be  a 
fool !  An'  I  won't  lick  you.  The  tree  's 
comih'  an*  it'll  kill  you."  Still  no 
answer  nor  sound,  save  the  solemn 


Rebellion  1 15 

whisper  of  the  leaves,  came  down  from 
the  lofty  branches.  "  You're  a  plucky 
one,  but  down  you  come!  " 

In  a  sudden  blaze  of  passion  at  be- 
ing thus  scorned,  he  drove  his  axe  deep 
into  the  tree's  heart.  A  puff  of  wind 
stirred  the  topmost  boughs.  A  shiver 
ran  through  every  branch  and  twig. 
Fibre  after  fibre  cracked  and  parted. 
The  trunk  tremulously  swayed  from 
its  steadfast  base.  The  sighing 
branches  clung  to  the  unstable  air. 
A  tall,  lithe  birch,  that  had  long 
leaned  to  their  embrace,  sprang  from 
it  as  in  a  flutter  of  fear,  and  then, 
with  a  slowly  accelerating  sweep,  the 
ancient  pillar,  with  all  its  long  upheld 
burden  of  boughs  and  perennial 
greenery,  went  through  its  fellows 
to  the  last  sullen  boom  of  its  down- 
fall. Toombs  breathlessly  watched  and 
listened  for  something  besides  the 
shortening  vibration  of  the  branches, 


1 1 6  A  Hero  of  T'tconderoga 

some  sound  other  than  the  swish  of 
relieved  entanglement,  but  no  sound 
or  motion  succeeded  them. 

**  Nathan,  Nathan,"  he  called  again 
and  again. 

He  ran  along  the  trunk  looking 
among  the  branches.  He  felt  under 
the  densest  tangles,  then  cleared  them 
away  with  quick  but  careful  axe 
strokes,  dreading,  in  every  moment  of 
search,  that  the  next  would  reveal  the 
crushed  and  mangled  form  of  the  boy. 
Not  till  the  shadows  of  night  thickened 
the  shadows  of  the  woods  did  he  quit 
his  fruitless  search.  He  knew  the  boy 
was  dead,  and,  if  found,  what  then? 
Well,  for  the  present  a  plausible  lie 
would  serve  him  well  enough. 

"  Your  boy  has  run  off.  Mis* 
Toombs.  You  needn't  worry.  He'll 
git  starved  out  'fore  long  and  sneak 
back.  And  he'll  work  all  the  better 
when  he  does  come.     Boys  has  got  to 


Rebellion 


1^7 


have  their  tantrums  an'  git  over  'em." 
This  device  served  so  well  to  quiet 
any  graver  apprehensions  that  Ruth 
entertained,  he  the  more  insisted  on 
it.  "  Like's  not  he's  over  to  the  Fort. 
They'll  make  him  stan'  round,  I  tell 
ye." 

He  intended  in  the  morning  to  re- 
new his  search,  but  when  it  came  he 
dared  not  go  near  that  fallen  tree,  the 
dumb  witness  and  concealer  of  his 
crime.  When,  from  afar,  he  saw  the 
crows  wheeling  above  the  spot,  or 
when  at  night  he  heard  from  that 
direction  the  wolf's  long  howl,  he 
shook  with  fear,  lest  they  had  discov- 
ered his  secret  and  would  in  some  way 
reveal  it. 


CHAPTER   XI 

ESCAPE 

When  the  accidental  shaking  of  the 
branch  disclosed  his  refuge,  Nathan 
wished  he  had  taken  the  easier  shelter 
of  a  hollow  log  or  the  tangle  of  a  wind- 
fall. The  more  so,  when  he  caught 
brief,  swift  flashes  of  the  axe  gleaming 
up  through  the  dark  foliage  and  felt 
the  tree  shiver  at  every  sturdy  stroke. 
But  he  had  no  thought  of  surrender. 
The  trunk  of  the  leaning  birch,  so 
slender  that  his  arms  and  legs  could 
clasp  it,  had  given  him  access  to  this 
coign  of  vantage  and  now  offered  a 
retreat  from  it. 

Toombs  was  intent  upon  his  work, 
with  his  back  turned  squarely  toward 


Escape  119 

the  foot  of  the  birch,  though  barely 
six  paces  from  it.  Escape,  if  at  all, 
must  be  made  while  the  chopper  was  . 
on  this  side  of  the  hemlock.  Very  ? 
cautiously  he  regained  the  birch  where 
it  hid  trunk  and  lithe  branches  in  the 
embrace  of  the  great  evergreen,  and 
then  worked  downward,  with  an  eye 
ever  on  his  enemy  underneath,  mak- 
ing swiftest  progress  when  the  axe  fell 
and  its  sound  overbore  the  rustle  of 
the  birch's  shaggy,  yellow  mane,  that 
his  buttons  scraped  along.  At  last 
his  toes  were  tickled  by  the  topmost 
leaves  of  a  low,  sprangling  hobble 
bush,  then  lightly  touched  by  the  last 
year's  fallen  leaves  and  the  soft  mould. 
Then,  as  a  flying  chip  struck  him  full 
on  the  cheek,  he  loosed  his  hold  on 
the  trunk  and  stole  stealthily  to  the 
shelter  of  the  nearest  great  tree. 

The  axe  strokes  ceased,  but  a  glance 
showed  him  that  Toombs  was  only  wip- 


120  A  Hero  of  TUonderoga 

ing  his  sweaty  brow  on  his  sleeve,  as 
he  looked  up  into  the  tree  and  ad- 
dressed its  supposed  occupant.  As  the 
futile  chopping  was  resumed,  Nathan 
crept  off  through  the  undergrowth  till 
beyond  sight  and  hearing,  when  he  ran 
upright  so  swiftly  that  he  was  a  mile 
away  when  the  roar  of  the  tree's  fall 
came  booming  through  the  woods. 

He  sat  down  to  get  his  breath  and 
determine  where  to  go,  for  so  far  he 
had  only  thought  to  escape  his  step- 
father. Should  he  try  for  the  Fort  ? 
How  was  he  to  cross  the  lake  without 
a  boat,  and,  if  there,  on  what  plea  that 
he  could  offer  was  he  likely  to  be 
harbored,  for  Toombs  was  on  very 
friendly  terms  with  the  commander  ! 
Not  there  could  he  find  protection. 
His  old  friend  Job  was  the  only  one 
to  whom  he  could  look,  and  in  his 
secluded  cabin  he  might  hope  to  es- 
cape detection. 


Escape 


121 


With  this  determination  he  arose 
and  went  his  way,  too  well  skilled  in 
woodcraft,  for  all  his  youth,  to  lose  it 
while  the  sun  shone.  Pushing  stead- 
ily on  he  saw  at  last  the  slanted  sun- 
beams shining  golden  green  through 
the  woodside  leaves,  then  saw  them 
glimmering  on  the  quiet  channel  of 
Job's  creek,  and  following  the  shore 
upstream,  presently  emerged  in  the 
little  clearing.  It  was  as  quiet  as  the 
woods  around  it,  and  seemed  more 
untenanted,  for  through  them  the 
songs  of  the  thrushes  were  ringing  in 
flute-like  cadences,  while  here  nothing 
was  astir. 

Nathan  made  his  way  so  silently  to 
the  open  door  that  he  stood  looking 
in  upon  the  occupants  of  the  cabin 
before  they  became  aware  of  his  pres- 
ence. Job  was  squatting  before  the 
fireplace  engaged  in  frying  meat,  and 
a  great,  gaunt,  blue-mottled  hound  sat 


122  A  Hero  of  T'tconderoga 

close  beside  him,  intently  watching 
the  progress  of  the  cooking.  Pres- 
ently his  keen  nose  caught  a  scent  of 
the  intruder,  and  he  uttered  a  low, 
threatening  growl  that  attracted  his 
master's  attention. 

"  Be  quiet,  Gabriel;  what  is't  trou- 
bles you."  Then  seeing  his  visitor 
hesitating  at  the  threshold,  "  Why, 
Nathan,  come  in  my  boy,  come  in, 
the  hound  won't  hurt  you.  Ain't  he 
a  pictur'  ?  Did  you  ever  see  such  ears? 
Did  you  ever  see  such  a  chest  and 
such  legs  ?  And  he's  as  good  as  he 
is  harnsome.  I  went  clean  to  Man- 
chester arter  him  and  gin  three  prime 
beaver  skins  for  him.  He's  one  o' 
Peleg  Sunderland's  breed  and  '11  foller 
anything  that  walks,  if  you  tell  him 
to,  from  a  mushrat  to  a  man.  And 
as  for  his  voice,  good  land!  You 
hain't  never  heard  no  music  till  you 
hear   it.     That's   what   give   him  his 


Escape  123 

name,  Gabriel.  But  what's  the  mat- 
ter with  you,  Nathan?"  when,  with- 
drawing his  admiring  gaze  from  his 
new  acquisition,  he  noted  the  boy's 
wearied  and  troubled  countenance. 
**  You  look  clean  beat  out.  There 
hain't  nothin'  the  matter  with  your 
folks  ? ' ' 

Nathan  told  the  story  of  his  treat- 
ment since  his  mother's  marriage 
to  Toombs,  and  his  unpremeditated 
flight,  and  all  the  particulars  of  his 
escape. 

**  I'd  ha'  gin  a  dozen  mushrat  skins 
to  seen  him  when  he  got  the  tree  down 
and  didn't  find  you,  and  him  like  a 
fool  dog  a  barkin'  up  a  tree  an  hour 
arter  the  coon  'd  left  it.  You  done 
right  to  come  to  me,  for  he  won't 
come  here  to  look  for  ye  right  off. 
And  then  when  he's  had  time  to  cool 
off  and  git  ashamed  of  himself,  you 
can  go  home. " 


124  -^  //-frd  of  Ttconderoga 

"  No,"  said  the  boy  quickly;  "  1*11 
never  go  back  till  I'm  old  enough  to 
lick  him  and  make  him  sorry  I  come." 

"  Oh,  well,  you  think  you  will. 
But  you  won't  never.  The  rough 
edge  *11  be  wore  off  afore  you  git 
round  to  it.  Once  I  swore  I'd  thrash 
a  schoolmarster  I  hed,  and  when  I 
went  to  do  it  we  jes'  sot  down  and 
talked  over  ol'  times,  like  ol'  friends. 
But  what  '11  your  mother  and  sis  do 
without  you  ?" 

*'  They'll  be  better  ofif  without  me. 
I  can't  help  mother  any,  nor  she  me, 
yet  awhile.  Can't  you  let  her  know 
I'm  safe  some  way  ? " 

"  Oh,  yes,  I'll  happen  round  there 
some  day  to  rights.  How  in  tunket 
did  she  ever  come  to  mate  wi'  that 
surly  red-haired  dog  ?  You  know  I 
hain't  seen  her  since  they  was  married. 
Women  is  onaccountable  critters,  any- 
how,  an*    I've  been   marcifully  pre- 


Eicape  125 

sarved  from  ever  bein*  tackled  to  one 
on  'em ; "  yet  he  sighed,  as  he  looked 
about  the  littered  room,  that  showed 
so  plainly  the  lack  of  housewifely 
care. 

After  the  supper  of  fried  venison 
and  johnnycake  was  eaten,  they  sat 
in  the  twilight  and  firelight  talking 
over  the  past  and  plans  for  the 
future,  till  the  boy,  worn  out  with  the 
events  of  the  day,  was  given  a  nest 
of  furs  in  the  loft,  where  he  would  be 
safe  from  detection  by  any  chance 
visitor,  and  Job,  after  barring  the  door 
and  carefully  covering  the  fire,  betook 
himself  with  the  hound  to  their  ac- 
customed couch  on  the  floor. 


CHAPTER   XII 

A  FREE   LIFE 

The  borders  of  the  clearing  were 
dimly  defined  in  the  dusk  of  the  next 
evening,  and  Nathan  was  beginning 
to  feel  lonely,  though  he  had  the 
hound  for  company,  when  Job  came 
in  with  his  gun  on  his  shoulder. 

"  Well,  what  news  ?"  Nathan  asked, 
after  a  little  impatient  waiting  for 
Job's  account  of  his  trip  abroad. 

**  Well,  I  happened  in  just  arter 
noon.  Your  nice  stepfather  sot  by 
the  fireplace  a  smokin*.  *  Where's 
Nate,'  says  I,  an'  he  up  an'  answered 
mighty  quick,  *  Run  away,  but  he'll 
be  back  quick  enough. '  Your  mother 
was  lookin'  turrible  worrited,  an'   it 


A  Free  Life  127 

was  quite  a  spell  afore  I  could  git  a 
chance  to  do  my  arrant  with  Toombs 
right  in  the  room.  Bimeby  I  made 
out  to  have  a  turrible  pesterin*  sliver 
in  my  right  hand  an'  got  your  mother 
to  pick  it  out  wi'  a  needle.  I'd  ruther 
have  a  leg  took  off  'an  to  have  a 
woman  jabbin'  at  a  sliver.  Whilst 
she  was  at  it,  me  wi'  my  back  towards 
Toombs,  I  whispered  you  was  at  my 
house  and  all  right,  an*  you'd  ortu 
seen  her  face  light  up.  Then  we 
played  the  sliver  was  out,  an'  arter 
I'd  wished  you  was  to  home  to  go 
fishin*  with  me  an*  wondered  what  on 
airth  you'd  run  away  f'm  such  a  good 
home  for,  I  come  off.  An*  I  tell  you, 
boy,  that  ere  ol*  scoundrel  thinks  he's 
killed  you.  When  I  come  off  towards 
where  he  chopped  that  tree,  he  fol- 
lered  along  to  see  if  I  went  nigh  it, 
an'  all  the  time  I  could  see  he  was 
scairter  *n  he  was  mad." 


128  A  Hero  of  T'tconderoga 

"  I  don't  care,  I  can't  go  back  if 
you'll  let  me  stay  with  you." 

"  Sartainly,  an'  glad  to  have  you.'* 

Nathan  readily  adapted  himself  to 
the  ranger's  way  of  living,  helping  him 
in  the  cabin  work  and  that  of  the  clear- 
ing. At  intervals,  through  his  friend, 
he  sent  his  mother  tidings  of  his  wel- 
fare and  learned  of  her  own.  Through 
the  same  way,  and  his  mother's  ready 
assistance,  he  gained  possession  of  his 
other  clothes — a  tow  shirt,  a  blue  frock, 
a  pair  of  gray  breeches,  and  two  pairs 
of  thick  woolen  stockings,  as  large  a 
wardrobe  as  most  backwoods  dwellers 
could  boast  of. 

"  Your  mother  stuck  this  out  of  the 
loft  winder  as  I  come  away,"  said  Job 
one  day,  handing  him  his  father's 
cherished  gun. 

"  Oh,  I  am  glad  to  get  this,  and 
see,  it  is  longer  'n  I  be  yet.  But  I'm 
growing,  for  I  measured  when  Toombs 


A  Free  Life  129 

put  this  up  loft  so't  he  could  hang  his 
gun  on  the  hooks  over  the  fireplace. 
See,  I  can  hold  it  at  arm's  length  long 
enough  to  see  to  shoot,"  and  he 
stretched  out  the  long-barrelled  gun 
with  pride. 

"  Toombs  was  out  a  burnin*  log 
heaps,"  Job  went  on.  "  She  says  he's 
dretful  narvous  an'  jumps  at  every 
sound.  I  ruther  guess  he's  gittin'  his 
pay  as  he  goes  along,  my  boy." 

In  preparation  for  the  fall  trapping, 
which  was  the  ranger's  chief  depend- 
ence, the  two,  accompanied  by  Ga- 
briel, made  long  ranges  through  the 
forest,  marking  their  line  by  blazed 
trees,  to  build  deadfalls  for  martens 
on  the  upland  and  for  mink  along 
the  brook  and  larger  streams,  and 
larger  traps  for  otters,  fisher,  and  bea- 
ver, and  when  the  leaves  began  to 
fall  they  daily  gathered  their  furry 
harvest.  Day  after  day,  too,  the 
9 


130  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

woods  rang  with  Gabe's  deep,  melo- 
dious voice  as  he  drove  the  deer  to 
water.  Many  an  adventure  on  lake 
or  in  forest  spiced  the  half  wild  life, 
and  the  loving  trust  of  the  old  man 
so  sweetened  it  that  time  glided 
swiftly  past.  Many  a  lesson  of  wood- 
craft the  boy  also  learned,  as  well  as  the 
priceless  one  of  love  and  charity  to  all 
created  things,  if  Indians  and  Toombs 
were  excepted.  Perhaps,  in  time, 
their  turn  for  forbearance  would  come. 

One  day  late  in  the  fall  Nathan 
ventured  to  the  Fort,  as  much  to  visit 
the  garrison  boys,  for  whose  com- 
panionship he  often  longed  in  his 
isolation,  as  to  carry  some  fine  par- 
tridges to  the  commandant's  lady. 
He  had  shot  them  himself  with  his 
father's  gun,  in  the  use  of  which  he 
was  becoming  expert. 

"  Whativer  has  coom  o*  your  red- 
headed stepfather?     He  didn't  coom 


A  Free  Life  131 

here  sin  he  coom  marryin'  your  moth- 
er," said  one  of  the  English  boys. 

After  this  information,  visits  to  the 
Fort  were  more  frequent,  since  there 
was  no  fear  of  meeting  Toombs.  The 
sentinel,  who,  with  his  musket  shoul- 
dered high  above  his  left  hip  and  his 
clubbed  queue  bobbing  in  unison  to 
his  slow,  measured  steps,  always  paced 
before  the  gate,  made  but  a  show  of 
challenging  him,  and  Nathan  was  al- 
most as  free  as  the  inmates  to  every 
part  of  the  Fort,  excepting  the  offi- 
cers' quarters  and  the  vigilantly  guard- 
ed magazine.  The  drill  and  parade 
of  the  soldiers,  in  their  spotless  scarlet 
uniforms  and  shining  arms,  though 
there  were  less  than  fifty,  rank  and 
file,  seemed  a  grand  martial  display, 
and  he  was  always  thrilled  with  the 
stirring  notes  of  drum  and  fife.  Occa- 
sionally he  met  the  commandant's  wife 
walking  on  the  parapet,  so  refined  and 


132  A  Hero  of  T'tconderoga 

different  from  the  toil-worn  women 
he  had  been  accustomed  to  see,  that 
she  seemed  a  being  of  another  world. 
Once  that  fall  Job  and  his  young 
companion  went  far  back  into  the  soli- 
tude of  the  primeval  forest  to  hunt 
moose.  Even  the  thunder  of  Ticon- 
deroga's  guns  was  never  echoed  there, 
and  from  morning  till  night  they  heard 
the  sound  of  no  human  life  but  their 
own.  At  night  the  dismal  chorus  of 
t^  e  wolves  was  heard  far  and  near,  and 
now  and  then,  what  was  a  pleasantef 
sound,  the  call  of  a  moose,  soft  and 
mellow,  in  the  distance.  With  a  birch 
bark  horn  Job  simulated  this  call,  and 
lured  a  moose  into  an  ambuscade, 
where,  within  short  range,  the  huge 
creature  was  killed.  When  with  much 
labor  the  meat  was  transported  and 
safely  stored  in  the  cabin,  they  were 
in  no  danger  of  a  winter  famine.  Soon 
winter  came,  wi'^    -^ays  of  snowbound 


A  Free   Life  133 

isolation,  and  its  days  of  outdoor  work 
and  pleasant,  healthful  pastime. 

The  gloom  of  a  blustering,  snowy 
February  day  was  thickening  into  the 
gloom  of  night,  when  a  traveller  and 
his  jaded  horse  appeared  at  the  door 
of  the  little  log  house. 

"  I've  somehow  missed  my  way  on 
the  lake,"  said  he  to  Job,  when  the 
door  was  opened.  "I'm  bound  for 
Bennington.  Can  you  give  me  and  my 
poor  beast  shelter  till  morning  and 
then  set  me  on  the  right  road  ? " 

"  Sartainly,  come  in,  come  in,"  was 
answered,  heartily.  "  You're  wel- 
come to  such  as  I've  got  of  bed  an' 
board,  an'  your  hoss  '11  be  better  off 
in  the  shed  wi'  corn  fodder  'n  he'd  be 
a  browsin'  in  the  woods." 

When  the  stranger  had  seen  his 
jaded  horse  cared  for  and  had  come 
in,  the  firelight  revealed  a  man  in  the 
prime  of  life,  of  fine  face  and  figure 


134         -^  ^^^^  rf  Ticonderoga 

and  of  military  bearing,  though  he 
was  clad  in  the  plain  dress  of  a  civil- 
ian. He  proved  a  genial  guest,  and 
amused  his  companions  with  stories 
of  his  recent  journey  to  Canada,  and 
of  his  home  in  Massachusetts,  and  with 
relations  of  the  stirring  events  in  that 
and  the  other  colonies  that  portended 
a  revolt  against  the  mother  country. 
In  turn  he  was  interested  in  every- 
thing pertaining  to  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Grants,  the  progress  of  the 
quarrel  with  New  York  claimants, 
the  temper  of  the  inhabitants  toward 
England,  but,  particularly,  was  he 
curious  about  the  condition  of  the 
adjacent  fortress.  Concerning  its  gar- 
rison and  the  plans  of  the  fortification 
he  found  Nathan  well  informed. 

**  I  like  to  remember  such  things 
about  a  place  that  has  been  so  fa- 
mous," the  stranger  observed,  as  he 
made  notes  in  a  memorandum  book. 


A  Free  Life  135 

"  I  would  like  to  visit  the  fort  some- 
time? How  many  men  did  you  count 
the  last  time  you  saw  them  parade, 
did  you  say  ? '  * 

It  was  well  into  the  night  when  the 
precious  embers  were  covered  and  the 
three  betook  themselves  to  sleep, 
with  the  wind  roaring  in  the  woods 
and  the  snow  driving  gustily  against 
the  oiled-paper  windows  of  the  cabin. 
When  they  awoke  the  storm  was 
spent.  Beneath  the  cloudless  morn- 
ing sky  the  forest  stood  silent  as  the 
army  of  spectres  that  its  snow-pow- 
dered trunks  resembled.  After  break- 
fast Job  put  on  his  snowshoes  and 
led  his  guest  to  the  desired  road 
to  the  southward  settlements.  This 
break  in  the  winter  monotony  was 
often  dwelt  upon  by  the  fireside  in 
the  little  log  house.  A  chance  visit, 
if  aught  occurs  by  chance,  yet  it 
proved  of  vast  importance. 


CHAPTER    XIII 

FOREBODINGS  OF  STORM 

After  many  days  of  fair  promises 
tardily  fulfilled,  spring  had  come.  The 
soft  air  was  full  of  its  sounds  and 
odors,  the  medley  of  harsh  and  liquid 
notes  of  the  myriad  blackbirds  that 
swarmed  in  the  trees  along  the  creek, 
the  crackling  croak  of  the  frogs,  the 
whimpering  call  of  the  muskrats,  the 
booming  of  bitterns,  the  splashing  and 
quacking  of  wild  ducks,  and  the  mur- 
mur of  running  waters.  There  were 
the  spicy  fragrance  of  pine  and  hem- 
lock, and  the  fresh  smell  of  warming 
mould  and  bursting  buds,  while  the 
perfume  of  wild  flowers  added  a 
moiety  to  the  spring  timeodor.     The 


Forebodings  of  Storm  137 

shad  trees  shone  like  snowdrifts  in  the 
gray  woods,  and  the  yellow  catkins 
were  alive  with  humming  bees. 

Amid  the  pleasant  sights  of  nature's 
progress,  Nathan  and  his  friend  sat 
near  the  door,  taking  off  and  stretch- 
ing on  pliant  bows  the  skins  of  the 
last  catch  of  muskrats. 

"  It's  about  time  to  quit  trappin' 
for  this  year,"  said  Job,  as  he  slipped 
a  skin  onto  the  bow  that  he  held  be- 
tween his  knees.  "  They're  gettin'  a 
leetle  off  prime,  though  better'n  they 
be  in  the  fall  an'  no  kits  as  there  is 
then,"  and  he  fastened  the  skin  in 
place,  with  a  cut  near  its  edge,  into 
each  horn  of  the  bow.  "  Good  land! 
What's  Gabe  huUabalooin*  at  now, 
I  wonder  ? " 

Nathan  peered  cautiously  around 
the  corner  and  whispered : 

"  It's  neighbor  Newton.  I'll  go  up 
loft."     Accordingly  he  climbed  the 


138  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

ladder  and  crept  softly  to  the  side  of 
the  loft  above  the  door.  Through  the 
wide  cracks  of  the  loose  flooring  he 
could  see  a  patch  of  the  chip  strewn, 
sunlit  earth  outside,  with  Job's  long 
legs  stretching  across  it  and  his  hands 
idle  a  moment  as  he  called  in  the 
hound,  who  presently  appeared,  and 
behind  him  the  stout  stockinged  legs 
of  neighbor  Newton. 

"  Job,  have  you  heard  the  news  ?" 
Newton  asked  excitedly. 

"News?  What  news?"  Job's 
knife  stopped  half-way  in  the  slit  it 
was  making  along  a  muskrat's  throat. 

"  There's  ben  a  fight  down  in  the 
Bay  Colony  'twixt  our  folks  and  the 
king's  troops  and  our  folks  whipped 


em. 


.    '*  Our   folks    a   fightin'    the   king's 
troops  ?"  said  Job  incredulously. 
-    The  other  hastily  related  such  par- 
ticulars of  the  momentous  conflict  as 


Forebodings  of  Storm  139 

he  had  learned.  Nathan,  whose  heart 
was  beating  fast  at  the  stirring  news, 
saw  the  muskrat  drop  to  the  ground. 
"  I  al'ys  said  them  reg'lars,  shootin' 
breast  high  at  nothin',  couldn't  stan' 
agin  our  bushfighters,  aimin'  to  kill," 
Job  said  exultantly;  "  but  what  next, 
Dan'l  ?" 

"  War— it  means  war.  The  coun- 
try's all  a-risin'.  Every  man's  got  to 
choose  the  side  he'll  take.  Which 
side  is  yourn,  Job  ?" 

There  was  a  silence,  and  the  answer 
came  with  slow  deliberation.  "  I 
hoped  to  end  my  days  in  peace.  I've 
had  enough  o'  fightin',  the  Lord 
knows.  When  I've  fit  it  was  for  the 
land  I  was  born  in— if  it  was  under  the 
British  flag— an'  I  shan't  never  fight 
for  no  other." 

Every  man  in  these  clearin's  is  all 
right,  so  far  as  we  know,  exceptin' 
that   aire    sour-faced    Toombs.      He 


140  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

hain't  no  good  will  towards  our  side. 
A  Tory  in  Seth's  shoes,  and  him  red- 
hot  for  liberty.  He's  got  a  Canuck 
a-workin'  for  him,  and  I'd  livser  trust 
a  wolf  *n  one  o'  them  pea-soupers.  I 
hain't  no  patience  wi'  Ruth  for  marry- 
in*  that  critter.  Where  do  you  s'pose 
her  boy  is  ?  "  There  being  no  reply 
the  speaker  went  on:  "I  b'lieve  that 
devil  has  made  way  with  him.  He 
acts  turrible  cur'us,  scared  and  startin* 
at  every  sound,"  and  the  two  walked 
off  towards  the  creek. 

Half  an  hour  later  when  Job  re- 
turned, he  asked  Nathan:  "Well, 
what  do  you  think  o'  the  news,  my 
boy  ? ' ' 

"  Oh,  is  it  true  about  the  fight? 
How  I  wish  I  could  go  and  help  our 
folks.     Father  *d  go  quick." 

"  Well,  well,  stay  where  ye  be.  If 
it  goes  on,  it's  sure  to  strike  the  ol' 
war-path,  and  the  old   ranger  swept 


Forebodings  of  Storm  141 

his  arm  towards  the  lake.  "  There'll 
be  work  for  us  here.  The  sign  o'  that 
fresh  water  mairmaid  is  comin'  true 
agin." 

They  passed  a  week  in  restless,  im- 
patient waiting,  when,  unheralded  by 
the  hound,  Newton  again  entered  the 
cabin  and  chanced  to  come  face  to 
face  with  the  boy. 

"  Well,  here  you  be,"  he  said,  with- 
out surprise  and  smiling  good-hu- 
moredly ;  "  I  s'pected  as  much  t'  other 
day  when  I  see  the  extry  knife  an' 
pile  o'  mushrats.  Say,  Job,  how  is't  ? 
Can  I  speak  out  afore  him  consarnin' 
the  business  we  was  talkin'  on  ?  " 

"  To  be  sure.  He's  close-mouthed 
an'  he's  achin'  to  go  an'  jine  our  folks 
down  in  the  ol'  Bay  Colony." 

"  Good;  he's  the  same  stuff  as  his 
father. "  He  laid  his  friendly  hand  on 
Nathan's  shoulder  and  continued  in 
a  low,  earnest  voice :    ' '  There's  a  plan 


142  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

all  fixed  to  take  Ti  and  Crown  P'int. 
It  seems  a  Connecticut  feller  named 
Brown  started  the  thing  a-goin'  some 
weeks  ago.  There's  nigh  ontu  two 
hunderd  and  fifty  men  in  the  Grants 
engaged  to  do  the  job.  Ethan  Allen 
commands.  We  muster  at  Bceman's 
Crik,  day  after  to-morrow  night. 
You'll  be  there?"  Job  stretched 
forth  his  hand  to  his  friend,  who 
warmly  clasped   it. 

"  Me,  too;  let  me  go,  too."  Nath- 
an's heart  swelled  with  pride,  and  he 
felt  himself  suddenly  leaping  to  man- 
hood and  a  place  among  men. 

"  He's  a  stout  lad  an'  he  handles  a 
gun  like  a  man.  Let  him  conie,"  said 
Job.  "  But  how  be  we  goin*  to  git 
across  the  lake  ?  There  hain't  boats 
enough  hereabouts  to  take  more'n 
thirty  men  to  oncet." 

"  Colonel  Skeene's  is  goin'  to  be 
borrowed,   an'  there's  a  plan  to  git 


Forebodings  of  Storm  143 

some  more  without  askin*  at  Crown 
P'int;  with  them  an'  what  we  can  pick 
up  we'll  make  enough.  How  many'U 
your  birch  carry  ?  " 

"  Six  men  that's  used  to  such  craft, 
but  not  one  lummax." 

"  Well,  bring  it  along.  Everything 
of  the  boat  kind'U  be  needed.  Toombs 
troubles  me  most.  He's  on  the  fence, 
which  means  he  ain't  to  be  trusted. 
He'll  see  our  men  a  musterin'  an' 
s'pect  what's  up,  an'  let  the  garrison 
know  some  way.  He  and  his  Canuck 
has  got  to  be  watched." 

"  Easy  done!  We  can  tie  *em, 
neck  an'  heels,  an'  leave  'em  to  take 
keer  o'  theirselves. " 

"  Well,  I'll  send  a  guard  an'  see  to 
that  "  Newton  said  as  he  hurried 
away  to  warn  other  settlers  of  the 
projected  enterprise. 

Those  left  began  to  clean  their 
weapons    carefully    and    prepare    to 


144  -^  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

mould  some  bullets.  Job  rehearsed 
his  long  disused  manual  of  arms,  in 
which  he  found  Nathan  familiar 
through  his  close  observation  of  the 
soldiers'  drill  at  the  Fort. 

"  You  don't  want  to  aim  that  way," 
the  old  man  said,  when,  at  the  com- 
mand, Nathan  held  his  piece  ready  to 
fire  with  the  butt  end  under  his  elbow. 
"  Lord,  how  I've  heard  Major  Rogers 
swear  to  see  the  reg'lars  wastin'  lead, 
shootin'  int'  the  tree  tops  wi'  the 
enemy  fair  afore  'em !  Fightin'  hain't 
no  foolin'.  Aim  to  kill,  jes'  as  ye 
would  at  a  pa'tridge.  There — that's 
the  talk,"  when  Nathan,  following  his 
instructions,  laid  his  cheek  to  the 
stock  and  flashed  the  priming  at  the 
breast  of  an  imaginary  foe. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

GABRIEL'S   GOOD   SERVICE 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  9th  of  May, 
1775,  Job  and  Nathan  laid  their  guns 
in  the  canoe  and  stood  beside  her 
ready  to  set  her  afloat  in  the  brown 
water,  whose  ripples  softly  lapped  the 
drift  of  dried  sedges  along  the  shore. 
Job  looked  anxiously  about,  and  once 
more,  as  he  had  several  times  previ- 
ously done,  he  whistled  a  loud  shiill 
note  through  his  fingers. 

"  Where  on  airth  is  that  dog  ?  He 
mistrusted  somethin*  was  up  and  run 
off.  He'd  ortu  be  tied  up,  but  we 
can't  wait  any  longer,  an'  he'll  hafter 
run  loose.     Wal,  le's  be  off." 

Lifting    the    canoe,    they   set    her 
10 


146  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

afloat,  stepped  lightly  on  board,  and, 
kneeling  in  the  bottom,  sent  her  fly- 
ing down  the  creek.  They  skirted  the 
lake  almost  beneath  the  spreading 
branches  of  the  maples,  now  already 
dappled  with  the  tender  green  of  bud- 
ding leaves.  A  little  back  from  the 
naked,  western  shore,  with  its  crum- 
bling ruins  of  the  old  French  water 
battery,  uprose  the  gray  battlements 
and  barracks  of  Ticonderoga,  and  the 
blazoned  cross  of  England  floating 
lazily  in  the  breeze. 

**  I've  follered  it  for  many  a  day," 
said  Job  sadly,  **  an'  I  never  thought 
to  go  agin  it.  But  I  b'lieve  I'm 
right,"  and  he  turned  his  face  reso- 
lutely forward. 

The  turmoil  and  horror  of  war 
seemed  far  removed  from  the  serene 
sky,  the  rippled  water  kissing  the 
quiet  shores,  and  the  pervading  sense 
of  the  earth's  renewing  life,  enforced 


Gabriers   Good  Service  147 

by  bursting  buds  and  opening  flowers 
and  songs  of  birds.  Even  the  grim 
fortress  seemed  but  a  memento  of 
conflict  long  since  ended  forever. 

Sweeping  into  the  broad  mouth  of 
the  creek,  they  joined  the  motley 
crowd  already  gathered  there.  The 
assemblage  was  composed  of  all  who 
were  capable  of  bearing  arms,  from 
gray-headed  veterans  of  the  last  war, 
to  the  striplings  who  had  not  yet 
been  mustered  on  a  training  field.  Job 
received  hearty  greetings  from  more 
than  one  old  comrade  whom  he  had 
not  seen  since  .hey  ranged  this  region, 
then  an  unreclaimed  wilderness,  under 
the  leadership  of  the  brave  and  wary 
Robert  Rogers,  and  he  was  soon  in 
reminiscences  of  scouts  and  ambus- 
cades, while  Nathan  watched  and 
noted  everything,  a  most  interested 
spectator  of  what  was  passing  so  un- 
obtrusively into  history. 


148  A  Hero  of  T'tconderoga 

Presently  there  was  a  stir  and  gath- 
ering together  of  the  detached  groups 
and  an  expectant  hush.  Then  he  saw 
towering  among  them,  in  cocked  hat 
and  military  garb  of  blue  and  buff, 
the  stalwart  figure  of  Ethan  Allen. 

"  Fall  in,  men,"  said  the  deep-toned 
voice  of  Allen,  and  the  groups  formed 
in  line  as  best  they  could  among  the 
trees. 

As  they  moved  forward  to  take 
their  places  Nathan  noticed  an  un- 
familiar form  skulking  among  the  tree 
trunks  near  him — a  swarthy  little  man 
wearing  a  tasseled,  woolen  cap  and 
gray  coat  unlike  the  Yankee  garb.  It 
flashed  across  his  mind  that  this  was 
the  Canadian  employed  by  his  step- 
father, and  he  tried  to  keep  watch  of 
his  movements.  But  there  was  much 
else  to  engage  him,  and  just  then  he 
felt  a  touch  on  his  leg,  and,  turning, 
saw  Gabriel's  sorrowful  face  looking 


Gabriel* s   Good  Service  149 

wistfully  up  to  his  own.  "  Down, 
Gabe,"  he  said  in  a  low  tone,  and  the 
hound  crouched  behind.  Just  then 
Ethan  Allen,  having  passed  slowly- 
down  the  line,  accosting  one  and 
another,  broke  the  silence : 

"  Friends  of  the  Grants,  we  are 
already  enough  for  this  business  in 
hand,  but  there  are  more  to  come. 
There  will  be  boats  enough  to  cross 
us  all  in  good  time.  Keep  quiet. 
Cook  your  rations  and  eat  your  sup- 
per. To-morrow  we'll  eat  our  break- 
fast in  Ticonderoga,  or  know  the 
reason  why." 

As  Nathan's  entranced  gaze  was 
for  a  moment  withdrawn  from  the 
beloved  commander,  he  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  little  unknown  man 
stealing  away  among  the  shadows. 
Being  more  accustomed  to  the  rigid 
discipline  of  the  garrison  than  to  the 
free  and  easy  customs  of  volunteers, 


150  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

he  did  not  dare  to  leave  the  ranks  till 
many  of  his  comrades  had  straggled 
away.  Then  he  sought  Job  and  told 
him  his  suspicions. 

**  I  thought  Newton  was  goin*  to 
tend  to  them  critters.  Newton,"  he 
called  to  his  neighbor,  "  didn't  you 
put  a  guard  over  Toombs  and  his 
man  ?" 

"  Toombs  is  safe  in  care  of  a  good 
man,  but  his  Canuck  couldn't  be 
found.  I  guess  he's  too  stupid  to  do 
any  mischief,  anyway." 

"  Well,  he's  ben  a  sneakin'  round 
here  an'  now  he's  gone,  an*  there's 
no  tellin'  where.  Where's  Toombs's 
boat  ? " 

**  Here,"  and  Newton  pointed  to 
the  landing,  where  it  lay  among  many 
others. 

**  Gabe's  round  here  somewheres," 
said  Nathan  inadvertently. 

"  Jest  the  one  I  was  a  wishin'  for," 


Gabriel* s   Good  Service  151 

said  the  old  man,  aroused  from  his 
troubled  pondering.  "  He  can  help 
when  nob'dy  else  can."  He  then 
sent  one  of  his  shrill  whistles  into 
the  woods,  and  then  another,  with 
such  good  effect  that  Gabriel  pres- 
ently appeared,  loping  easily  along. 
"  Good  fellow,  good  fellow.  Now, 
Newton,  we'll  ketch  that  skunk. 
Here,  here,  old  boy,"  and  he  hurried 
swiftly  away  with  the  hound  at  heel. 

Arrived  at  the  house  they  found 
Toombs  unconfined,  but  under  the 
vigilant  guard  of  a  lynx-eyed  Green 
Mountain  Boy.  When  Job  inquired 
for  the  Canadian,  he  detected  a  gleam 
of  triumph  in  the  glowering  eyes  of 
the  surly,  half-defiant  prisoner. 

"The  fox  has  slipped,"  said  Job; 
"  but  never  mind.  If  he  can  fool 
Gabe  he's  a  smart  'un.  Ruth,  where's 
somethin'  that  'ere  Canuck  has 
wore?" 


152  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

Ruth,  who  stood  near  her  idle  spin- 
ning wheel,  half  dazed  at  the  unwonted 
commotion  and  afraid  of  she  knew  not 
what,  pointed  covertly  to  a  much 
worn  pair  of  moccasins  hanging  near 
the  fireplace  to  dry. 

"  Hisn?  There  couldn't  be  nothin* 
better.     See  here,  Gabe." 

The  hound  snuffed  eagerly  at  the 
soiled  footgear,  slowly  wagging  his 
tail,  and  then  looked  inquiringly  at 
his  master. 

"  Sarch  him  out,  boy.  Sarch  him 
out,"  Job  encouraged  him,  pointing 
along  the  ground. 

The  hound  circled  about  the  yard  a 
little,  and  then,  finding  the  trail,  fol- 
lowed it  silently  and  steadily  down  to 
the  creek  to  where  the  men  were  mus- 
tered. There,  on  the  much  trodden 
ground,  it  bafHed  him  for  a  while. 
Resorting  to  his  usual  tactics,  he  made 
widening  circles  and  again  found  the 


Gabriel* s   Good  Service  153 

trail  and  went  off  upon  it  in  a  steady, 
untiring  pace  southward  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Ticonderoga. 

"  I  knowed  it,"  said  Job  to  himself, 
"  and  I'll  bet  ye  there'll  be  a  Canuck 
treed  afore  sundown."  Guided  by 
the  deep,  mellow  baying  of  the  hound, 
he  set  off,  with  his  gun  at  a  trail, 
in  rapid  pursuit. 

The  agile  little  Canadian  had  at 
least  an  hour's  start,  and  made  such 
brisk  use  of  it  that  he  was  on  the  shore 
opposite  the  Fort  when  he  was  over- 
taken by  the  hound,  who  at  once  set 
furiously  upon  him.  Being  unarmed, 
he  was  forced  to  scramble  up  a  tree, 
from  which,  when  he  had  recovered 
his  breath,  he  began  lustily  to  hail  the 
Fort,  and  at  intervals  to  curse  the 
hound.  His  shouts,  and  Gabriel's 
insistent  deep-mouthed  hayings,  could 
scarcely  fail  to  attract  the  attention 
of  the  garrison,  and  Job,  pushing  for- 


154  ^  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

ward  at  his  best  pace,  presently  ap- 
peared upon  the  scene. 

"  Hello  de  Forrt,"  the  Canuck  was 
shouting.  "  Hey!  Hello  de  Forrt! 
Sacre  chien !  Go  home,  Ah  tol'  you  ! 
Hello,  Carillon.  Tac-con-derrrque ! 
All  de  Bastonais  was  comin'  for  took 
you,  Ah  tol'  you !  Sacre  chien  !  Stop 
off  you  nowse  so  Ah  can  heard  me 
spik." 

"  Shut  yer  head  an*  come  down  out 
o'  that  mighty  quick,"  Job  com- 
manded in  a  low  voice. 

"  Me  no  onstan'  Angleesh,"  and 
again  the  voice  rang  out  over  across 
the  water:  "  Hello  de  Forrt!  " 

Peering  through  the  overhanging 
branches.  Job  saw  a  group  of  red- 
coated  soldiers  gathered  on  the  other 
shore,  and  presently  saw  a  boat  put- 
ting out  from  it. 

"  Looka  here,"  said  he  sternly,  as 
he   cocked   his   piece  and  aimed  up- 


Gabriei's  Good  Service  155 

ward;  "  I  don't  want  tu  be  obleeged 
tu  hurt  you,  but  stop  yer  hollcrin'  an' 
come  right  down." 

"Me  no  onstan',  Ah  tol'  you! 
Hello — ."  The  lusty  hail  was  cut  short 
by  the  report  of  the  long  smoothbore. 
The  Canadian'scap  went  spinning  from 
his  head,  and  he  came  scrambling 
down  in  a  haste  that  threatened  to 
leave  half  his  clothes  behind. 

'•  Ah  comin' !  Ah  comin' !  Don't 
shot  some  more !  "  he  cried  in  a  voice 
trembling  with  fright. 

Job  arrested  his  descent  till  his  gun 
was  reloaded  ;  then,  when  his  captive 
slid  to  the  ground,  he  quickly  tied  his 
hands  behind  with  a  fathom  of  cord, 
one  end  of  which  he  held.  Then  he 
removed  the  woolen  sash  from  the 
Canadian's  waist  and  bound  it  about 
his  mouth. 

A  glance  upon  the  lake  showed  the 
boat  half-way  across,  and  approaching 


156  A  Hero  of  T'tconderoga 

as  fast  as  two  pairs  of  oars  could  im- 
pel it.  Job  hurried  his  man  into  an 
evergreen  thicket  some  twenty  yards 
away,  and,  leaving  him  tied  to  a  tree 
in  charge  of  the  hound,  he  stealth- 
ily returned  to  ascertain  if  possible 
whether  the  nature  of  the  alarm  had 
been  comprehended  by  the  soldiers. 
The  boat  drew  rapidly  toward  the 
place  where  he  lay  concealed,  and,  at 
a  little  distance,  the  occupants  lay 
upon  their  oars  while  they  held  con- 
sultation, so  near  that  he  could  hear 
every  word  of  it. 

"  Well,  boys,"  said  the  sergeant  in 
command,  "  whathiver  it  was.  Hi  don't 
hear  nothink  more  of  it.  But  Hi'll 
'ail  the  shore.  'Ello  there,  whathiver 
is  the  row  ?  "  An  answer  was  silently 
awaited  till  the  echoes  died  away. 

"  Ah't  was  some  o'  thim  Yankee 
divils  huntin'  just,"  said  one  of  the 
soldiers,    "  and   that's   all    about    it. 


Gabriei*s  Good  Service  157 

Divil  a  word  could  I  make  out  but 
the  dog  yowlin'  an'  a  man  phillalooin', 
an'  thin  the  shot.  They  kilt  what- 
iver  they  was  at  an'  thin  wint  away." 

"  Hi  believe  you're  right,  Murphy, 
an*  we'll  no  bother  to  go  ashore,  but 
just  pull  back  and  report  to  the  cap- 
tain," and  off  went  the  boat  to  the 
western  shore. 

With  a  sigh  of  relief  Job  sped  back 
to  his  prisoner,  to  whom  he  motioned 
the  homeward  way,  and  set  forth  with 
him  in  front  at  a  break-neck  pace, 
which  was  occasionally  quickened  by 
a  punch  of  the  gun  muzzle  in  the  rear, 
and  so  was  the  captive  driven  to  the 
camp. 

Ticonderoga's  evening  gun  had  long 
since  boomed  its  vesper  thunder,  and 
the  shadows  of  evening  were  thicken- 
ing into  night  in  the  forest,  when  Job 
emerged  from  them  into  the  glare  of 
the  camp  fire  with  his  hound  and  pris- 


158  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

oner,  and  received  the  warm  com- 
mendations of  Allen  and  his  associates 
for  his  promptly  and  skilfully  per- 
formed exploit. 

"  I  don't  claim  no  credit  for't.  It 
was  all  Gabe's  doin's,  an'  if  I'd  left 
him  tied  up  to  hum  as  I  laid  out  to, 
our  cake  v/ould  all  *a'  ben  dough." 

**  Here,  Newton,  here's  your  man. 
Put  him  under  guard  with  that  Tory, 
Toombs,"  said  Allen. 

A  tall  man  of  noble,  commanding 
presence,  but  of  a  quiet,  modest  mien, 
stooped  to  caress  the  hound.  "  Why," 
he  said,  **  it's  one  of  Sunderland's 
dogs,  that  haven't  their  equal  in  New 
England." 

"  You've  got  an  eye  for  houn*  dogs, 
Capt'n  Warner.  He  sartain  is  one  o* 
them  dogs  an'U  foller  anything  he's 
told  to,  though  't  ain't  no  gre't  trick 
to  track  a  Canuck  more'n  an  Injin. 
They're  both  strong-scented  critters." 


CHAPTER   XV 

LEADERS  AND   GUIDE 

Even  while  Nathan  watched  Gabe 
and  his  master  depart  into  the  forest 
southward,  he  became  aware  the  as- 
semblage was  moved  by  some  new 
object  of  interest.  Turning,  he  saw 
Colonel  Allen  and  another  gentleman, 
eagle-eyed,  eagle-beaked,  in  handsome 
military  dress,  talking  angrily  in  the 
midst  of  an  excited  group.  At  length 
Allen  turned  his  passionate  face  toward 
the  men  and  called  in  a  loud  voice : 

Men,  fall  in  for  a  moment.  Here, ' ' 
waving  his  hand  toward  his  com- 
panion, as  the  men  rapidly  fell  into 
line,  *'  is  Mr.  Benedict  Arnold.  He 
bears  a  colonel's  commission  from  the 


l6o  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

Connecticut  Ct)mmittee  of  Safety,  and 
claims  the  right  to  command  you  to- 
night. Men  of  the  Green  Mountains, 
whom  do  you  follow — Arnold  or 
Allen?" 

"  Allen,  Allen,"  came  in  response, 
loud  and  decided. 

The  chosen  chief  turned  a  triumph- 
ant smile  upon  his  rival,  who  strode 
away  in  silence  of  restrained  passion. 
Soon  returning,  however,  he  addressed 
Allen  in  a  clear,  steady  voice : 

"  Sir,  I  submit  to  the  will  of  these 
men,  but  let  me  be  a  volunteer  in  this 
glorious  enterprise.  The  Green  Moun- 
tain Boys  and  their  famous  leader  are 
too  generous  to  refuse  this." 

Allen,  touched  at  a  vulnerable  point, 
grasped  the  speaker's  hand  heartily 
and  answered : 

"  Indeed,  so  brave  a  man  as  I  well 
know  you  to  be,  is  most  welcome, 
and,  by  the  Great  Jehovah,  if  the  men 


Leaden  and  Guide  i6i 

don't  object,  you  shall  be  second  in 
command." 

A  shout  of  approval  went  up  from 
the  men,  who  gathered  around  their 
camp    fires    again,    while   Allen   and 
Arnold,  together  with  Warner,  walked 
apart  in  amicable  consultation.     Soon 
the  first  called  loudly  for  any  informa- 
tion concerning  a  lad  named  Nathan 
Beeman.     At  the  sound  of  his  name, 
Nathan    started,    blushed,    hesitated, 
and  then  stepped  bashfully  forward, 
and  was  quickly  recognized  by  Allen 
in  spite  of  his  added  stature. 

"  Here,  this  is  the  youngster.  Colo- 
nel Arnold,  that  Mr.  John  Brown 
tells  of  in  this  paper,  whom  he  saw 
and  conversed  with  last  winter  about 
Ticonderoga. ' ' 

The  two  colonels  then  asked  the 
boy  many  questions  about  the  Fort, 
its  entrance,  the  interior,  the  number 
of  the  garrison,  and  the  disposal  of  the 


II 


1 62  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

sentinels.  Evidently  satisfied  with 
his  straightforward  replies,  A.llen  said, 
low  and  impressively : 

"  You  have  such  a  chance  to  serve 
your  country  as  don't  often  fall  to  a 
boy.  Will  you  lead  us  into  the  Fort 
to-night?     Will  you  do  it  faithfully? " 

Nathan  looked  steadily  into  the 
earnest,  searching  eyes  fixed  upon 
him,  but  did  not  answer. 

"  Speak,"  cried  Allen,  sharply. 

"  If  the  commandant's  lady  won't 
be  hurt,  I  will,"  he  said  at  last,  his 
left  hand  thrust  into  his  pocket,  fum- 
bling his  cherished  shilling  piece. 

Allen  laughed  good-humoredly. 
**  So  the  lady  is  a  friend  of  yours. 
Well,  never  fear.  We  may  disturb 
her  morning  nap,  but  she  shall  not  be 
harmed.  We  are  not  waging  war  in 
the  wilderness  against  women  and 
children.  Here,  my  boy,  stick  this 
twig  of  hemlock  in  your  hat.     Don't 


Leaders  and  Guide  163 

you  see  we've  all  mounted  it?  There, 
now,"  as  he  himself  put  the  evergreen 
sprig  in  Nathan's  hatband,  **  you  wear 
the  Green  Mountain  Boy's  cockade. 
See  that  you  never  disgrace  it." 

The  boy  thrilled  with  pride  as  he 
walked  with  measured  step  behind  the 
stately  chieftain  and  his  lithely  built 
companion.  Presently  the  sound  of 
oars  was  heard  and  a  large  batteau 
swept  into  the  landing,  navigated  by 
two  of  Newton's  sons,  who  gleefully 
related  how,  with  a  jug  of  rum,  they 
had  lured  Skeene's  old  negro  with  the 
coveted  craft  into  their  toils,  as  he 
waT  voyaging  homeward  from  Crown 
Point.  It  was  capable  of  carrying 
twenty-five  persons  and  was  a  wel- 
come prize.  Though  one  by  one,  and 
in  little  flotillas,  boats  continued  to 
arrive,  still,  at  two  o'clock  in  the  early 
May  morning,  there  were  not  enough 
to  transport  half  the  men  gathered. 


164  -^  Hero  of  T'tconderoga 

After  brief  consultation,  it  was  deter- 
mined that  as  many  as  possible  should 
at  once  cross  to  the  other  shore  and 
there  await  the  coming  of  the  others 
in  the  returning  boats. 

Embarkation  began  at  once  under 
the  superintendence  of  Allen,  Arnold, 
and  Warner.  Nathan  found  himself 
with  the  first  two  in  the  leading  boat, 
Warner  being  left  in  charge  of  the 
party  remaining  on  the  eastern  shore. 
At  a  low  word  of  command,  the  flo- 
tilla swept  out  of  the  flickering  glare 
of  the  fire  into  the  darkness.  It 
passed  down  the  creek  and  was  soon 
upon  the  lake,  heading  for  the  other 
shore,  being  guided  to  the  chosen 
landing  by  the  mountain  peaks  that 
loomed  black  against  the  western  sky. 
The  night  was  windless.  The  shrill 
piping  of  hylas,  the  monotonous  trill 
of  toads,  and  the  rush  of  running  brooks 
filled  the  air.     Such  sounds  faded  out 


Leaders  and  Guide  165 

as  the  middle  of  the  lake  was  reached, 
where  nothing  was  heard  but  the  h'ght 
plash  of  muffled  oars,  to  rise  again  in 
increasing  volume  from  the  other 
shore. 

As  the  last  boat  grounded  on  the 
shelving  beach,  Nathan  was  startled 
by  the  loud,  hollow  hoot  of  an  owl, 
uttered  thrice,  almost  in  his  ear.  A 
few  moments  later  there  came,  like 
an  echo  from  the  distant  creek,  the 
answer  to  this  preconcerted  signal  of 
safe  arrival.  The  men  quickly  disem- 
barked, and  the  boats  returned  to 
those  who,  under  Seth  Warner,  were 
eagerly  awaiting  their  turn. 

Those  who  had  made  the  passage 
tramped  to  and  fro  to  stir  their  blood, 
for  there  was  a  creeping  chill  in  the 
night  air.  The  first  light  of  dawn 
was  stealing  up  the  eastern  sky,  the 
woods  and  mountains  showing  in  sharp 
relief  against  it,  yet  no  signs  came  to 


1 66         ^  Hero  •/  Ticonderoga 

strained  eyes  and  ears  of  the  return- 
ing boats. 

•*  The  lazy-bones,"  growled  Allen, 
forgetting  the  long  distance.  '  *  What 
has  gone  wrong?  Daylight  will  betray 
us  if  we  wait  much  longer.  What  do 
you  say,  my  men— shall  we  wait,  and 
maybe  lose  our  best  chance  of  suc- 
'  cess,  or  go  on  with  what  strength  we 

have  ?  *  * 

There  was  a  murmur  of  universal 

assent,  and  Allen  commanded : 
**  Fall  in,  in  three  ranks!" 
Instantly  the  men  formed  in  the 
order  of  the  ranger  service.  "  I  want 
no  man  to  go  against  his  will.  You 
that  wish  to  go  with  me,  poise  arms." 
Every  gun  was  brought  to  the  posi- 
tion. 

**  Shoulder  arms!   Right  face!   For- 
ward, march ! ' ' 

Before  the  last  word  was  fairly  given, 
Arnold  stepped  in  front  of  the  speaker. 


Leaders  and  Guide  167 

> 


(I 


I  swear,"  he  cried,  shaken  with 
his  passion,  "  I  will  not  yield  my  right. 
I  planned  this  enterprise.  My  money 
set  it  on  foot.  I  swear  I  will  com- 
mand, and  not  yield  my  right  to  Ethan 
Allen  or  the  devil." 

There  was  a  muttered  growl  of  dis- 
satisfaction r  mong  the  men,  and  Allen 
was  raging.  **  What  shall  I  do  with 
this  fellow  ?  Put  him  under  guard  ? " 
he  asked,  turning  to  one  of  his  cap- 
tains. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  Captain  Cal- 
lender,  a  staid  and  quiet  man,  **  for 
the  sake  of  the  good  cause,  don't 
quarrel.  Yield  a  little,  both  of  you. 
Share  the  command  equally,  and  enter 
the  Fort  side  by  side." 

Allen  returned  his  half-drawn  sword 
to  its  scabbard  and  said  bluffly:  *'  For 
the  sake  of  the  cause  I  agree  to  this." 
The  Connecticut  colonel  sullenly  as- 
sented, and  the  three  columns  moved 


1 68  A  Hero  of  Ticmderoga 

briskly  along  the  shore,  led  by  the 
two  colonels  marching  side  by  side, 
till,  through  the  branches  of  the  bud- 
ding trees,  the  leaders  saw  close  be- 
fore them  the  walls  of  Ticonderoga, 
looming  dark  and  vague  in  the  gray 
of  the  morning. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

TICONDEROGA 

A  halt  was  silently  signalled,  and 
Job,  the  skilfullest  scout  of  all  this 
band  of  woodsmen,  was  sent  forward 
to  reconnoitre.  Silently,  as  a  ghost, 
his  tall  figure  melted  into  the  obscurity 
of  dawn,  and  presently  appeared,  out 
of  the  blur  of  shadows,  bearing  whis- 
pered tidings  that  all  was  quiet  within 
the  Fort,  and  only  one  sentinel  care- 
lessly guarding  the  open  wicket  of  the 
main  entrance. 

A  whispered  word  of  command 
drifted  back  along  the  ranks  and  the 
troops  moved  forward.  They  mounted 
a  slight  declivity  and  advanced  to  the 
right  toward  the  gate.     Now  the  sen- 


lyo  A  Hero  of  Ttconderoga 

tinel  could  be  seen  pacing  his  beat; 
now  the  white  cross-belts  and  the 
facings  of  his  uniform  made  out,  and 
still  he  maintained  his  deliberate  pace, 
unconscious  of  the  enemy,  while,  per- 
haps, his  thoughts  were  far  away  in 
the  green  fields  of  merry  England, 
where  the  hawthorn  was  blooming 
and   the   lark    singipcr   "at   heaven's 

gate. 

"'he   heads  of   the  files  were  close 
upon  him  when  his  wandering  thoughts 
were   suddenly  recalled.     Too   much 
surprised  to  challenge  or  call  an  alarm, 
he  levelled  his  fusee  at  Allen's  tower- 
ing figure  and  pulled  the  trigger.     The 
life  of  the  bold  chieftain  hung  for  an 
instant   in   the   trembling  balance  of 
fate,    but   not   a   spark   followed  the 
stroke  of  the  flint.     The  guard  turned 
and  fled  through  the  open  wicket  with 
Allen  and  Arnold,  side  by  side,  close 
upon  his  heels.     After   them    came 


Ticonderoga  171 

Nathan ;  and  the  crowding  files  of  men 
swarmed  through  the  narrow  gate  in 
an  impetuous  rush,  and,  guided  by 
the  boy,  onto  the  parade.  This  was 
enclosed  on  three  sides  by  lofty  stone 
barracks.  Here  they  caught  a  last 
glimpse  of  the  flying  sentry  dodging 
into  a  bombproof,  like  a  woodchuck 
into  a  hole.  Another  sentinel  made  a 
bayonet  thrust  at  Nathan,  when  Allen's 
sword  fell  quick  as  a  thunderbolt  upon 
the  man's  head  in  a  downright  blow 
that  must  have  cleft  the  skull,  had  it 
not  glanced  on  a  metal  comb  that 
held  his  hair  in  place. 

The  assailants  quickly  formed  in 
two  ranks,  facing  outward  upon  the 
east  and  west  lines  of  barracks,  and 
gave  three  cheers  that  made  the  gray 
walls  ring  with  quick,  rebo  \ding 
echoes. 

"  Quick,  my  boy,  show  me  the 
commandant's  quarters,  '  said  Allen, 


172  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

and  his  guide  led  to  a  flight  of  outer 
stairs  arising  to  the  upper  story  of  the 
south  barracks.  Ascending  them, 
Allen  shouted : 

"  Come  forth,  commandant,  come 
forth."  But  receiving  no  answer  he 
thundered  on  the  door  with  the  pom- 
mel of  his  sword  and  shouted  still 
louder: 

"  Come  out  of  your  hole,  you 
damned  old  skunk,"  and  thereupon 
the  door  was  drawn  a  little  ajar.  Allen 
flung  it  w^ide  open,  and  disclosed  the 
bewildered  face  and  undignified  figure 
of  Captain  Delaplace,  clad  only  in  his 
shirt  and  nightcap,  with  his  breeches 
in  his  hand.  Behind  i.'m  stood  his 
night-gowned  wife,  her  pretty  face 
pale  with  alarm.  For  a  moment  the 
captain  gaped  at  his  unceremonious 
visitor. 

"  Who  are  you  and  what  do  you 
want  ?  * ' 


Ticonderoga  lyo 

**  I  want  the  Fort  and  all  it  contains. 
Surrender,  instantly." 

"  Surrender  ?  Is  this  a  mad  joke  or 
treason  ? " 

"  Neither;  but  honest  men  claiming 
their  own.     Surrender. ' ' 

"  In  whose  name  ?  By  whose  au- 
thority ?  "  asked  Delaplace,  assured 
of  the  earnestness  of  the  summons. 

"  In  the  name  of  the  Great  Jehovah 
and  the  Continental  Congress." 

"  I  know  no  such  authority." 

"  Sir,  do  you  deny  the  authority  of 
the  King  of  Kings  ?  And  Congress 
seemeth  to  have  some  pov  ^r  here  this 
morning.  Waste  no  more  time.  We 
are  four  to  your  one.  Do  you  sur- 
render ? '  * 

"I  see  no  choice.  But  it  consoles 
me  that  you  rebels  will  hang  for  this. ' ' 

"  You  arc  welcome  to  the  consola- 
tion of  the  hope,  but  it  gives  me  no 
uneasiness  and   I   run    no  new  risks. 


174         -^  ^^^  ^f  Ticonderoga 

I  am  Ethan  Allen.  You  may  have 
heard  of  me  and  have  lusted  for  the 
shekels  the  sons  of  Belial  offer  for  my 
head.  But  get  on  your  clothes  and 
parade  you-  men  without  arms.  Mad- 
am," bowing  low  to  the  lady,  **  par- 
don the  intrusion,  but  my  business  is 
urgent.  Permit  me  to  close  the  door.  * ' 
So  doing  he  awaited  the  reappearance 
of  the  commandant. 

"  This  is  a  pretty  kettle  of  fish," 
the  chopfallen  captain  groaned. 
**  Courage,  my  dear;  this  handsome 
giant  has  something  of  the  manners 
of  a  gentleman,  and  will  not  let  a  lady 
be  maltreated  by  his  rebel  band.  *  * 

"  Oh,  William,  the  Fort  surprised, 
and  we  prisoners,  and  not  a  blow 
St  uck  for  defense." 

"  There  could  be  no  defense  with 
such  numbers.  Well,  there's  no  use 
crying  over  spilt  milk.  Did  you  see 
that  pet  cub  of  yours  with  the  big 


Ticonderoga  175 

rebel  ?  What  did  I  tell  you  ? "  said 
the  captain,  putting  the  finishing 
touches  to  his  hasty  toilet. 

He  rejoined  Allen  and  proceeded 
to  the  parade,  where,  presently,  he 
mustered  his  little  force  without  arms 
and  formally  delivered  them  to  the 
captors,  who  marched  them  away  to 
their  quarters  under  guard.  Two 
days  later,  with  an  armed  escort,  they 
were  on  their  way  through  the  wilder- 
ness to  Connecticut,  and  Nathan  saw 
the  last  of  the  lady  of  the  Fort. 

Warner  and  the  remainder  of  the 
men  arrived  at  Ticonderoga  soon  after 
its  surrender,  disappointed  that  they 
had  not  participated  in  its  achieve- 
ment. 

Still  guided  by  the  boy,  the  officers 
made  a  tour  of  investigation,  which 
revealed  a  wealth  of  guns  and  ammu- 
nition— supplies  greatly  needed  by 
the  army  of  patriots  then  gathered  at 


176  A  Hero  of  Ttconderoga 

Boston.  As  the  boy  listened  to  the 
rejoicings,  his  heart  was  full  of  proud 
thankfulness  that  he  had  borne  so  im- 
portant if  humble  a  part  in  this  ser- 
vice of  his  country. 

Warren  and  Sunderland  and  a  hun- 
dred men  set  forth  for  the  easy  con- 
quest of  Crown  Point  and  its  insignifi- 
cant garrison,  while,  on  Lake  George, 
another  party  took  possession  of  Fort 
George  and  its  garrison  of  a  man,  his 
wife,  and  a  dog. 

Arnold  hastily  fitted  out  a  schooner 
taken  at  Skeenesborough,  and,  with 
Allen  in  a  batteaus  filled  with  armed 
men,  sailed  down  the  lake  to  capture 
the  British  sloop  at  St.  Johns.  Job's 
knowledge  of  the  lake,  gained  in  years 
of  ranger  service  upon  it,  made  him 
valuable  as  pilot,  in  which  capacity  he 
accompanied  Allen ;  and  where  Job 
went  there  went  Nathan.  The  brisk 
south  wind  swiftly  wafted   Arnold's 


Ticonderoga  177 

craft  far  in  advance  of  her  sluggish 
consort,  whose  crew  saw  their  chances 
of  glory  lessening  and  fading  with  the 
white  wings  of  the  schooner. 

The  voyage  was  a  pleasant  one  to 
Nathan,  for  beyond  the  mouth  of 
Otter  Creek  everything  was  new  to 
him,  with  strange  and  changing  shores 
and  such  an  expanse  of  water  as  he 
had  never  seen.  His  old  friend  pointed 
out  to  him  notable  landmarks  and 
scenes  of  past  adventure.  Here  was 
the  cleft  promontory  of  So-baps-kwa 
and  the  opposite  headland  of  Ko-zo- 
aps-kwa,  there  the  solitary  rock  of 
Wo-ja-hose.  Then  they  passed  the 
isles  of  the  Four  Winds  and  Valcour, 
and  Grand  Isle's  low,  wooded  shore 
stretching  along  the  eastward  water 
line.  At  last,  as  they  were  nearing 
the  northern  end  of  the  lake  and  saw 
on  their  right  the  ruin  of  an  old  French 
windmill,  the  only  vestige  of  civilized 
la 


178  ^  Hero  of  Tlconderoga 

occupation  they  had  seen  except  the 
ruins  of  Fort  St.  Anne  on  Isle  la 
Motte,  they  descried  two  sail  rapidly 
bearing  down  toward  them  from  the 
north  before  the  shifted  wind. 

For  a  few  moments  they  were  in 
an  excitement  of  alarm,  not  knowing 
whether  these  were  friends  or  foes. 
Soon  Allen,  who  had  been  watching 
through  a  glass,  lowered  it,  and,  wav- 
ing his  cocked  hat  above  his  head, 
shouted : 

'*  Hurrah,  boys,  it's  our  friends  with 
the   British    sloop.      Give    her    three 

cheers. 

While  the  last  lusty  cheer  was 
scarcely  uttered,  an  answering  salute 
from  the  cannon  of  the  sloop  and 
schooner  was  thundered  forth. 

"  Give  'em  powder  for  powder,  boys. 
Fire,"  Allen  shouted,  and  a  rattling 
volley  of  muskets,  rifles,  and  long 
smoothbores  reawakened  the  echoes. 


Ticonderoga  IJC) 

The  crew  of  the  batteau  was  then 
transferred  to  the  schooner  and  her 
prize — the  same  armed  sloop  Nathan 
so  well  remembered  seeing  when  she 
brought  supplies  to  the  Fort  he  had 
just  borne  a  part  in  surprising.  While 
amid  loud  rejoicings  the  story  of  her 
bloodless  capture  was  told,  they  went 
merrily  bowling  homeward  with  the 
clumsy  batteau  surging  along  in  tow 
at  such  speed  as  she  had  never  known 
before. 


1 


CHAPTER   XVII 

HOME  COMING 

As  the  sloop  swept  past  the  massive 
battlements  of  Crown  Point  where 
they  guard  the  narrowing  channel  of 
the  lake,  Job  said  to  his  young  com- 
rade: 

"  We're  getting  towards  home." 

"  Yes,  I've  been  thinking  of  home 
and  mother  and  sis.  Guess  I  needn't 
be  afraid  of  ol*  Toombs  any  longer, 
but  I  don't  know  as  I  could  keep  my 
hands  ofifi'n  him.  I  always  meant  to 
give  him  a  thrashing  when  I  could." 

"  Mebby  you  could,  now,  but  he's 
a  cordy  critter  and  a  soople  one ;  but 
mind  what  I  tell  you,  you  never  will." 

Nathan's  answer  was  a  short,   in- 


f 


Home   Coming  1 8 1 

credulous  laugh,  as  he  helped  Job 
make  ready  for  disembarkation.  As 
they  marthed  in  straggling  ranks 
toward  Fort  Ticonderoga,  Nathan 
was  accosted  by  one  of  the  young 
Newtons,  who  had  remained  there 
during  the  northern  expedition. 

* '  Look  a-here,  Nate, ' '  he  said,  draw- 
ing him  aside,  "  there's  some  trouble 
to  your  mother's.  She's  sent  word 
for  you  to  come  right  home.  Old 
Toombs  is  dead  or  run  off  to  Canerdy, 
or  something.  I  don't  know  the  rights 
on't.  But,  anyhow,  she  wants  you 
bad." 

Either  the  death  or  the  absconding 
of  his  stepfather  was  too  good  news 
to  be  true,  and  his  first  duty  was  to 
serve  his  mother.  He  and  Job  readily 
obtained  leave  of  absence,  though  it 
was  scarcely  needed,  so  lax  was  the 
military  discipline  of  the  crudely 
organized  forces.      The  two  at  once 


i82  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

set  forth,  and  an  hour's  paddling  of 
the  light  birch  canoe  brought  them 
to  the  landing  in  the  creek. 

As  they  emerged  from  the  shadow 
of  the  woods  into  the  broad  sunlight 
of    the    clearing,    their    first    glance 
sought   the    house    standing    in    the 
midst   of   green   grass   and  springing 
grain.     The  scene  was  in  such  appar- 
ent peace  and  quietude  as  it  might 
have  been  lapped,  if  all  the  turmoil 
of  war  and   strife   were   a  thousand 
miles   removed.     As    I'jathan's    eyes 
ran  over  the  familiar  fields  in  which 
he  had  spent  so  many  hours  in  the 
companionship  of  his  father,  his  heart 
was  softened  with  the  sad  and  solemn 
memory.     Then  it  hardened  in  a  fire 
of  wrath   that   flamed   up  at  the  re- 
membrance of  what  he  had  suffered 
from  his  father's  successor,  and  he  felt 
if  he  should  meet  the  wretch  he  would 
wreak  summary  vengeance  upon  him. 


Home   Coming  183 

Soon  they  were  at  the  open  door 
and  looking  in  upon  the  homely  kit- 
chen. It  was  empty  but  for  the  figure 
of  a  man  slouching  inertly  in  an  arm- 
chair before  the  fireplace.  There  was 
no  mistaking  the  shock  of  grizzled 
red  hair,  nor  the  brawny  shoulders, 
though  they  were  stooped  and  curved 
together. 

The  light  tread  of  Nathan's  mocca- 
sined  feet  did  not  disturb  the  melan- 
choly figure,  with  its  drooping  head 
and  vacant  eyes  staring  into  the  fire, 
nor  did  it  move  till  he  laid  his  hand 
on  its  shoulder.  Then  the  face  turned 
upon  him  a  slow,  dazed  stare,  that  as 
slowly  kindled  into  recognition,  then 
froze  into  a  rigid  glare  of  inexpressible 
terror.  An  inarticulate  cry  came  from 
the  white  lips,  while  the  helpless  form 
strove  to  arouse  itself  from  the  living 
death  of  palsy. 

Nathan  cast  upon  Job   a  look   of 


184  A  Hero  of  Ticonderoga 

appalled,  beseeching  inquiry.  As  he 
met  its  answer  in  the  awed  face  of  his 
friend,  resentment  of  past  injuries 
faded  out  of  his  heart,  as  he  realized 
that  a  mighty  hand  had  forestalled 
his  revenge,  and  he  felt  nothing  but 
pity  for  the  abject  being  that  crouched 
before  him. 

"  It's  come  out  about  as  I  told  you," 
said  Job,  "  but  I  wan't  expectin* 
nothin'  like  this,  poor  critter.  He 
thinks  you're  a  spirit  come  to  haunt 
him."  Then  he  called  loudly  to  the 
figure,  "  It's  the  boy.  It's  Nathan, 
alive  and  well.  Don't  be  afeared,  he 
won't  hurt  ye." 

There  were  footsteps  at  the  thresh- 
old, and  Ruth  and  Martha  entered, 
pausing  a  moment  with  wondering 
faces,  which  presently  kindled  with 
joy,  and  Nathan  was  clasped  in  their 
arms.  When  the  first  flush  of  joyful 
meeting  was  spent,  Ruth  explained  in 


Home   Coming  185 

answer  to  her  son's  whispered  question 
and  his  nod  toward  the  dumb  figure: 

"  He  sort  o'  broke  down  after  the 
guard  went  away,  an*  t'other  day  we 
found  him  all  of  a  heap  down  by  a  big 
hemlock  log  that  he  never  got  round 
to  cut  up.  He  hain't  seemed  to  sense 
much  since.  He's  been  dreadful  wor^ 
ried  about  you,  Nathan,  all  along, 
ever  since  you  went  away." 

She  did  not  know  the  terrible  cause 
of  the  speechless  self-condemnation 
the  wretch  had  suffered,  nor  did  she 
ever  learn  it. 

"  I  wouldn't  tell  her,"  counselled 
Job.  "  She'd  feel  bad,  an'  that 
wouldn't  pay  any  more'n  it  does  to 
nurse  a  grudge.  Vengeance  don't 
belong  to  us,  poor  critters." 

Thenceforth,  till  Silas  Toombs  sank 
from  his  living  death  to  eternal  sleep 
not  long  after  this,  his  stepson  gave 
him  thoughtful  and  kindly  care. 


1 86  A  Hero  of  Ttconderoga 

At  length  the  young  frontiersman 
took  his  place  among  the  defenders  of 
his  country.  By  the  side  of  his  old 
comrade  and  guardian,  he  fought  in 
the  losing  fight  of  Hubbard  ton  and 
helped  to  win  the  glorious  victory  of 
Bennington.  Yet  he  is  best  remem- 
bered by  the  descendants  of  the  old 
Green  Mountain  Boys  as  the  guide 
who  led  their  fathers  in  the  conquest 
of  Ticonderoga. 

Where  once  stood  the  pioneer's  log 
house,  spacious  farm  buildings  now 
stretch  their  comfortable  quarters. 
From  it,  away  to  the  southwest,  across 
meadows,  thrifty  homesteads,  low 
woodlands,  and  the  narrowed  waters 
of  Lake  Champlain  can  be  seen  rising 
against  the  foothills  of  the  Adiron- 
dacks  the  hoary  ruins  of  Ticonderoga. 
Within  the  house,  upon  a  pair  of  mas- 
sive moose  horns,  rests  the  old  flint* 


Home   Coming  187 

lock  once  filled  with  beans,  "good 
enough  for  Yorkers,"  and  later  loaded 
with  a  leaden  death  message  for  Tory 
and  Hessian.  Cherished  with  as  fond 
pride  by  its  fair  possessor,  is  a  worn 
pocket-piece — the  silver  shilling  given 
her  ancestor  by  the  beautiful  lady  of 
Fort  Ticonderoga. 


